Work on Eastern Cape Clinic Stalled Because Health Department Didn’t Pay the Builder

About R1.5-million has been spent to renovate the old Ugie clinic in the Eastern Cape. But construction ground to a halt in November because the provincial health department did not pay the contractor.

• The Eastern Cape Department of Health awarded a R5-million tender in 2024 to renovate the Ugie clinic.
• The project includes upgrading the building, installing toilets and a septic tank, and adding two prefabricated structures.
• The project stalled last November because the provincial health department did not pay the contractor.
• The department now says work on the clinic should be done by the end of May. Meanwhile, patients have to queue outside.

Patients in Ugie in the Eastern Cape have to queue outside a small mobile clinic in the pouring rain or extreme heat. The three-room Ugie clinic has been closed for renovations since October 2024.

The Eastern Cape Department of Health awarded a R5-million tender in 2024 to renovate the clinic, build toilets and a septic tank and add two prefab buildings.

But residents we spoke to said the contractor renovating the clinic building abandoned the site in November and never returned.

Last week, GroundUp saw patients sitting on plastic chairs in the rain as they waited to see the nurse in the clinic van.

The main clinic building had been painted but the renovations were far from complete. Some windows were still broken, the foundation for one of the prefab units was incomplete and the toilets had not yet been built.

Mkhululi Ntshaba had been waiting since 7:30am to collect his medication. He was drenched. The mobile clinic arrived at 8am and consultations started by 9am.

“Since the renovations started we have been queuing outside, whether it is cold, raining like today, or very hot,” said Ntshaba.

Many patients have to stand while waiting because there are only a handful of chairs. “When the weather is good, it becomes very crowded here. This mobile clinic serves the whole town and surrounding locations,” said Ntshaba.

Ugie Residents Association chairperson Sindi Phama said the main building, built in the 1970s, was dilapidated and had no proper toilets.

“There was only one toilet used by the staff. Patients were forced to relieve themselves in the open field,” said Phama. He said the clinic only had three rooms, with little privacy and no proper storage for medication.

On the delayed renovations, Phama said, “When the project started we were told it would take about three months. It’s been more than a year and the work is still not finished.”

Residents are worried the project might never be completed, he said.

Health spokesperson Siyanda Manana said about R1.5-million of the approved R5-million budget has been spent so far on the renovations.

Asked why the contractor was not on site, Manana said, “The contractor exercised their contractual rights which allows the contractor to suspend work where payment has not been effected by the employer.”

He said the contractor is currently on site to complete the work. But when GroundUp visited the only person on site was a security guard.

According to Manana, the project, originally scheduled to be completed by April, will be finished by 26 May. The clinic will be operational again by June 2026, he promised.

In the meantime, a prefabricated structure will be brought from Maclear Hospital to add to the mobile clinic while the renovations continue.

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