Note to editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Refiloe Nt’sekhe MPL.
The prolonged delay in opening the newly renovated Dr Fabian and Ribeiro Treatment Centre is denying Gauteng residents battling substance abuse access to the treatment and rehabilitation services they need to rebuild their lives. Despite completing the renovations, the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) has yet to open the centre, leaving a critical treatment facility unused amid the growing need for rehabilitation services.
For those struggling with addiction, delayed access to treatment can mean worsening health, broken family relationships, lost opportunities, and a greater risk of relapse, all of which carry high social and economic costs for families, communities, and society.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) will table questions to the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD), MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, to determine why the department has failed to open the Ribeiro Treatment Centre. Gauteng residents deserve answers on why a completed treatment centre remains closed despite the urgent need for its services.
During a meeting of the Gauteng Portfolio Oversight Committee on Social Development, departmental officials reported that renovations to the Ribeiro Treatment Centre were originally due to be completed in February; however, there was a delay, and the facility would open in May.
May has come and gone, yet the facility remains closed. Staff report for duty every day, but there are no patients to assist. The department promised many clients admission in May, and staff prepared to receive them. Instead, the MEC has failed to open the facility and has not explained why a fully renovated treatment centre remains unused.
The chaos surrounding this facility, which forms part of Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s relaunched Tswa Daar campaign, exposes the gap between the Gauteng government’s promises and its delivery. Presented as a flagship response to Gauteng’s substance abuse crisis, this programme has left patients waiting and staff frustrated.
The DA calls on the GDSD MEC to prioritise this programme and honour the commitments made by her department. We should not have to remind this department of its own undertakings. Missing deadlines and failing to account for them are tantamount to sleeping on the job.
The DA is the only party with a credible plan to help people trapped by substance abuse. A DA-led Gauteng government will ensure that rehabilitation facilities are fully functioning, well-resourced, and properly managed to serve the people who need them most.