This week, Premier Alan Winde conducted a series of unannounced visits to public facilities in the West Coast region, covering Clanwilliam, Citrusdal, and PIketberg.
“It has been an exceptionally challenging time for Western Cape Government (WCG) employees who work at the coalface of service delivery. We are also acutely aware of the issues our residents face and are doing everything we can to mitigate the impact of the fiscal constraints that we are operating in. We are determined to ensure our province receives its fair share of the national budget to protect our service delivery capabilities for our residents, and WCG employees,” stressed the Premier.
Healthcare
At Clanwilliam Hospital, some patients told the Premier that waiting times are reasonable and staff do try to regularly inform them if they will have to wait for longer periods.
With healthcare among the frontline services under increasing pressure due to budget cuts forced on provinces, Dr Claire Adams, Medical Manager for the Cederberg district, explained that they are still determined to fill vacant posts.
Clinical Manager, Dr Frederick Strauss, said that he and his team are still managing to cope during busy periods because of the dedication of this hardworking team. However, he raised concerns over pressures the facility will face in the coming years as the Western Cape’s population continues to grow rapidly. During harvest times, the town’s population also increases dramatically with the arrival of seasonal farmworkers, placing added pressure on healthcare.
Sister Katherine Marcus, the Operational Manager at the Rabie Kotze Hospital in Piketberg raised similar concerns.
While interacting with Sister Marcus, the Premier emphasised, “Despite economic challenges, it is heartening to see healthcare workers remaining committed and focused on serving residents. But we will continue to fight for adequate funding for our core services.”
Social services
At the Western Cape Department of Social Development (WCDSD) offices in Clanwilliam, staff took the opportunity to raise concerns about the impact of increasingly unpredictable weather on their services. During periods of heavy rain and flooding, social workers said they struggle to reach some communities. The Premier stressed how climate change mitigation has become an increasingly important priority for him and the WCG as the frequency of extreme weather increases.
Staff expressed their gratitude for the health and wellness programmes the provincial government offers its employees. The Premier said, “We must support our employees now more than ever. Their well-being is as important as that of the residents we serve. If their emotional and physical needs are addressed, they are in a better position emotionally to deliver services. Healthy employees make for a well-functioning government and province, as well as services to our residents, often in times of distress. You are the caring hands of the Western Cape and we value all you do for the most vulnerable in our province”
The Premier also visited the newly refurbished WCDSD offices in Piketberg. With the smell of fresh paint still evident, staff agreed that their new offices reflect the dignity they aim to restore to their clients. “This shows just how important it is that we keep investing heavily in infrastructure development to keep up with the increased demand for services,” Premier Winde stated.
The Premier was thrilled to learn that staff are making full use of the Social Work Integrated Management System (SWIMS) application, which was officially launched earlier this year and aims to ease the administrative burden of social workers so that they have more time to focus on their clients.
Infrastructure development
The Premier also visited the Clanwilliam Dam construction project. The project involves raising the dam’s wall by 13 metres. This is one of the biggest infrastructure initiatives currently under way in the Western Cape. With water resilience among the WCG’s most pressing priorities, this project is also critical for building up the province’s resource security. “Infrastructure development is key to our economic growth and job creation. The latest jobs figures showed that 42 000 jobs were added to the construction sector in quarter 3 of 2024, which helped reduce the province’s unemployment rate to below 20% for the first time in years,” said Premier Winde.
But the project has not been without its challenges. There have been numerous delays. He continued, “While it is encouraging to see that progress is being made, I am concerned that it is far too slow. The job creation potential beyond the construction phase is immense. It is estimated that through the increased water supply this project will ensure, as many as 15 000 jobs can be created just in the agriculture sector. I urge all stakeholders to prioritise the completion of this project.”
Reinstatement of section of R303
As part of Premier Winde’s West Coast oversight programme, he also visited the site of the reinstatement project on the MR 310 (R303). Part of the road, which links Citrusdal with the N7, was washed away during inclement weather in July 2024. During a tour of the site, the Premier noted that encouraging progress has been made. He urged contractors to work as hard as they can ahead of the festive season, “I appreciate the hard work the provincial Department of Infrastructure, along with its partners, is putting into completing this complex project, and hopefully ensuring that the community of Citrusdal is not cut-off again. While we are reinstating the road, it is also essential that everyone who plays a role in the management of the river and the surrounding infrastructure works with us to maintain this road.”
One-way traffic, with a stop-and-go system is in place to facilitate the movement of traffic. The repair work will be completed by early 2025.