The Mpumalanga Department of Health (DoH) has denied ever allocating R380m for the upgrade of the Masibekela Clinic. This follows claims by the DA that funds were set aside in the 2017/18 budget to convert the facility into a community health centre.

The deterioration of the clinic, which serves more than 10 000 residents in Nkomazi, has drawn public concern, with patients and healthcare workers reporting broken ceilings, crumbling infrastructure and safety fears.

DA health spokesperson and member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature (MPL), Bosman Grobler, accused the DoH of neglecting rural clinics in favour of large hospital projects. “We believe it is an issue across the province, especially in rural areas,” he said.

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Grobler could not give an exact number of similarly neglected clinics, saying the DoH has yet to provide full information. “The department has not responded to previous correspondence regarding maintenance in public healthcare facilities in the province,” he added.

The DA is considering referring the matter to the health ombudsman, citing a breach of Section 35 of the National Health Act.

In a written response to media enquiries, the DoH flatly rejected claims of a cancelled upgrade. “The department did not have plans to construct Masibekela Clinic and no allocation of R380m was made. This project was never on the plan,” the response stated.

This directly contradicts statements made in the MPL in previous years, raising questions over whether budget commitments were made and later withdrawn, or simply never implemented. The department also insisted that maintenance is routinely conducted.

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“Day-to-day maintenance is done to the facility for each functionality,” DoH spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said, adding that repairs would begin by the end of October, with materials to be sourced through the department’s maintenance hub. He confirmed that an assessment report with repair recommendations had been drawn up.

However, community members say no noticeable maintenance has taken place, and no prior response was issued despite multiple complaints. The DA maintains it will pursue the matter at committee level before escalating it to national structures.

The crumbling condition of the clinic has become a symbol of a broader concern: the widening gap between provincial health planning on paper and the lived reality in Mpumalanga’s rural clinics.