By BAKANG KOKOTO
12 January 2025- The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in the North West has called on the North West Provincial Government (NWPG) to take urgent and decisive action to reduce flood risks and improve infrastructure in our communities.
SANCO said climate change is a reality, and its effects such as prolonged heavy rains are increasingly evident across South Africa, including in provinces like North West, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal.
SANCO provincial spokesperson, Mzukisi Jam said in the past two weeks, the province has faced severe flooding, causing significant damage to roads, homes, and critical state infrastructure, including hospitals. Jam said these floods have exposed the government’s inability to maintain essential infrastructure, including storm-water systems and healthcare facilities.
“For decades, communities have voiced their concerns about the deteriorating state of government infrastructure, often citing that the government of the day seems to have an attitude towards a solid foundation inherited from the former Bophuthatswana Government.
“However, instead of preserving and improving these assets, we are witnessing a decline. The health sector, in particular, highlights this neglect. Hospitals such as Thusong in Itsoseng have collapsed due to poor maintenance, leaving communities reliant on overburdened facilities like Lichtenburg Hospital and the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital,” he said.
Jam further said Gelukspan Hospital is also deteriorating rapidly and they will not be surprised should it collapse like Thusong because instead of the government responding to community requests to increase health facilities, they are failing in their face.
He added that the lack of maintenance across the province is actually threatening the sustainability of health services.
“Recent floods have worsened the situation with floods damaging the General De La Rey Hospital in Lichtenburg, forcing the transfer of patients to other facilities.
“These severe flooding also disrupted operations in the Moses Kotane Hospital, necessitating the relocation of patients. Many of these hospitals were built over 50 years ago, yet they continue to operate with outdated infrastructure,” said Jam.
He said the lack of investment in maintenance and expansion has left health facilities unable to meet the growing needs of the population. Jam said despite the North West MEC for Health, Sello Lehari’s “Rebona ka Matlho” program aimed at identifying and addressing these issues, no meaningful improvements have been seen.
“The community’s frustrations persist as services decline, with ambulance response times taking hours and patients sleeping on hospital floors due to overcrowding.
“Our hope for an improved public health sector is now in the National Health Insurance (NHI) initiative, which other people see as another project that is going to fail and be used by corrupt individuals to enrich themselves,” he said.
The Guardian 