By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI
29 October 2024- The Sibanye Stillwater mine in Rustenburg has donated two ambulances and an emergency response vehicle. The vehicles which are fitted with modern equipment will provide much needed solutions for health facilities in the Bojanala District and further allow for ease of transportation of patients to specialised units equipped to treat their unique ailments.
Speaking during the handover ceremony, the North West MEC for Health, Sello Lehari, hailed the donation as yet another good example of how the private sector can work together with the government in finding solutions to challenges that confront citizens on a daily basis.
Lehari thanked Sibanye Stillwater for the donations.
“Undoubtedly, this contribution will improve our ability to deliver essential medical services to our citizens. I am very confident that these vehicles will enable high quality medical service delivery to patients requiring inter-hospital transfers and external referrals.
“South Africa’s public healthcare facilities are under great strain and the ambulance service is no exception, which is tragic, given that when it comes to health issues, speed of reaction by medical personnel is very often the difference between life and death,” he said.
Lehari further said the government can achieve much, but the government can achieve much more through partnerships with stakeholders. He added that as a government, they hold a firm view that it takes the community, the private sector, civil society organisations and government partnerships to significantly impact on service delivery.
Meanwhile, the Vice President for Social Sustainability at Sibanye Stillwater, Sibongile Zikalala said the gesture was symbolic of their commitment to community development.
“As Sibanye, we are putting every effort in partnering with government as we have a long standing partnership with the provincial department. To date, the company’s PGM operations have donated 23 ambulances, 3 mobile clinics and 1 emergency response vehicle to enable improved health services,” she said.
The Guardian 