TZANEEN – Manoge Holdings (PTY) LTD, are the owners of the new healthcare centre which was recently approved by the Greater Tzaneen Municipality Council.

According to information in Herald’s possession the company bought the Erf 3418 Tzaneen Ext 78 for R2.214m, which is said to be located just before Olive Tree Coffee Shop, where people currently do subsistence farming.

The private hospital facility will offer the following services:

• Mother and childcare.
• General surgery.
• Orthopaedics.
• General medicine.
• Ear, nose and throat.
• Ophthalmology.
• Advanced radiology.
• Day clinic.
• Oncology.
• Mental healthcare.
• Rehabilitation centre with an adjoining pharmaceutical depot.

“We envisage an 80-bed acute care facility initially with the capacity to accommodate up to 120 beds on expansion when necessary. The facility needs to provide innovative and green healthcare for sustainable healthcare solutions. A facility of this magnitude will be a first for the province,” according to the land application document.

The centre will also provide much needed employment opportunities which will exist during construction with employment of locally based companies for the construction of the project.

Permanent placements for the running of the facility will be available with the view of sourcing locally.

Permanent placements will include various skill sets and employment will be available in managerial, healthcare provision, pharmaceutical, food services, security officers and general work.

Cllr Collen Mathebula, during the council sitting, said the centre will not only benefit residents of Tzaneen but also serve surrounding Mopani areas, including Giyani, Phalaborwa, Hoedspruit, and others.

He added that the project is is a need in the area, as the existing health institutions don’t have services such as oncologists.

However not everyone agrees with the new development, Ward 15 Democratic Alliance (DA) Cllr Chrizelle Dreyer objected to the proposal, arguing that Tzaneen already has sufficient medical infrastructure.

Read more: New Tzaneen healthcare centre approved by council

“I want to know why are we considering this unsolicited bid if we already have healthcare facilities in Tzaneen, while there are other wards which don’t even have a mobile clinic. And, the current sanitation infrastructure at the other part of Ext 78 is not operational, how will this facility get operational sanitation infrastructure if the existing infrastructure is failing the residents of Ext 78.

“In 2023 this municipality declined an offer from a well known business in town to expand, they wanted to buy a much smaller erf for a lot more, yet it was declined on the basis of ‘advanced plans’ for this erf. And until today, nothing has happened on this erf. Although we understand the revenue benefits and job creation of the idea of a new healthcare facility. We have some concerns regarding it, GTM is setting a bad example about selling GTM land through unsolicited bids,” Dreyer explained.

Mathebula says there is nothing wrong with an unsolicited bid, as the municipality purchases land in two ways, the one where they identify land and sell it to buyers or buyers identify land and apply to buy it, which Manoge did and was approved.

At the moment information on when construction will start is not yet available.