Note to Editors: Please find the attached English soundbite by Khathutshelo Rasilingwane MPL.
Residents of Munsieville in Krugersdorp continue to travel long distances and wait in long queues to access healthcare services at nearby clinics. This situation arises because the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (GDID) has not completed the Mayibuye clinic 16 years after its inception, which currently stands as a shell of pillars. More than R7.8 million has been spent from the initial tender of R59.8 million yet there is nothing to show for it.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng recently uncovered this information during an oversight inspection of the clinic’s construction site conducted by the Infrastructure Development Portfolio Committee.
The project was incepted in 2009, planning began in 2015, and the contractor started work on-site in 2019. However, after 1150 days, the contractor was fired due to poor performance after over R7.8 million of the budget had been spent. Since then, the project has been abandoned despite the estimated completion date of November last year. This project has been delayed for 16 years since its inception. How many more years should residents continue to wait for this clinic?
See photo of the construction site here.
It is unacceptable that the Mayibuye Clinic remains incomplete due to the department’s failure to appoint qualified contractors and perform proper project management and oversight inspection.
Given such a track record of poor delivery, it’s concerning that Premier Panyaza Lesufi, in his State of the Province Address (SOPA), assigned the DID the additional responsibility of addressing “the critical need for bulk infrastructure that allows cities to operate effectively and businesses to flourish.”
A DA-led Gauteng government would ensure that infrastructure projects are well-planned, well-managed, and completed within budgets and timelines by appointing qualified contractors who aim to deliver quality rather than steal from our people and deprive them of essential services. Based on previous experience delays in projects result in incurring costs, theft and vandalism.