Casualty patients will be turned away from Tembisa Hospital until the damage from the two April fires is repaired in June next year.
This is disclosed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
She says that ambulances with Priority 1 and Priority 2 patients, are diverted to other hospitals, except for maternal and child health. The affected services “will restart in phases, culminating in the new fiscal year in June 2026, depending on repairs and renovations to affected locations.”
It is estimated the repair will cost about R14 million, and the South African Pandemic Intervention and Relief Effort (SPIRE) has donated their services to assist.
The Department denies that the fires destroyed any documents that could assist with the investigation into corrupt contracts at the hospital, which the SIU estimates were worth more than R2 billion. They say that attendance registers, patients’ medical files, and triage books were burnt in the fire areas.
Both fires are still being investigated by the SAPS.
The DA in Gauteng calls for speeded up efforts to restore services at Tembisa Hospital as other hospitals are straining to cope with extra patients from the area.
We need to know if the fires were caused by arson, and if so, who did it and for what motive.
We also need to know why the two companies linked to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s sons failed to prevent the fires at Tembisa Hospital despite being paid R36.4 million for fire suppression and detection systems at Gauteng hospitals.
According to reports, Ngwato and Manzi Group (NMG) and Modipadi Nokaneng are linked to Thabiso Mashatile and Tinyiko Mvelase. They were awarded a R49 million contract in 2022 to service fire alarms and sprinkler systems at Gauteng public hospitals.
All investigations should be transparent, otherwise suspicion will remain that the fires were to destroy evidence of corrupt activities.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would ensure that fire safety is given a high priority at hospitals, and repairs would be done speedily and cost-effectively.