Outrage has erupted in the Vaal after revelations that nearly R20 million was spent on a perimeter wall for the Boitumelo Clinic — a project that remains unfinished 15 years after it began. Community members are furious, calling the expenditure a disgraceful misuse of public funds while residents continue to endure poor healthcare conditions.
According to a written response from Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, three different contractors were involved in the project. The first contractor was paid R3.8 million, the second R9.5 million, and the third R6.1 million — bringing the total cost to R19.6 million.
Nkomo-Ralehoko attributed the project’s failure to “community disruptions” and the involvement of multiple contracts. “Due to community disruptions, work was stopped on site, and the contractor did not return to the site; rather, they chose to terminate the contract by mutual agreement in April 2018,” she said.
The project, initially set for completion in February 2018, has since been in limbo. Nkomo-Ralehoko confirmed that the Boitumelo Clinic plans — first drafted 15 years ago — will have to be re-evaluated as part of a new planning phase. However, all projects currently in the planning stage have been halted due to budget constraints.
“The Boitumelo clinic brief will need to be relooked at since it is 15 years old; therefore, the project is in the planning stage. Projects in infancy planning stages, including the new Boitumelo clinic, are currently halted due to budget reprioritization,” she added.
The initial budget for the clinic’s planning phase was R1.5 million in the 2015/16 financial year, with R40 million earmarked over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for full implementation.
Democratic Alliance (DA) Emfuleni North Constituency Head Kingsol Chabalala called the project a “reckless waste of taxpayers’ money” and demanded an independent audit into the Boitumelo Clinic development. During an oversight visit, Chabalala and members of the media found only an incomplete wall where a functioning clinic was promised.
“There is no visible clinic infrastructure besides a wall, a clear sign of how little progress has been made,” said Chabalala. “This kind of wasteful spending by Gauteng Health highlights deep financial mismanagement and possible corruption. It also shows the department’s complete disregard for service delivery, while Premier Panyaza Lesufi continues to turn a blind eye to holding the MEC accountable.”
Chabalala said the DA would petition the Gauteng Department of Health to urgently complete the long-overdue clinic and ensure every cent spent is accounted for.
Local residents have also rejected the MEC’s claims of “community disruptions.” Speaking anonymously, several residents said they never interfered with the construction and instead had hoped for job opportunities when work began.
“The only time we ever went to the construction site was years ago when work had just started; we were hoping to get jobs, not to cause trouble,” one resident said. “Why would we disrupt something meant to help us?”
Meanwhile, the temporary clinic currently serving Boitumelo residents has been described as overcrowded and inadequate. The small facility can only fit about five people at a time, forcing others to queue outside in the scorching heat or heavy rain.
“When it rains, we have to find something to cover ourselves with. It’s humiliating. We just want proper healthcare,” said another resident.
The Gauteng Department of Health told The Star it is still awaiting a response from another department regarding the matter, leaving the fate of the Boitumelo Clinic — and its costly wall — uncertain.
