A second picket hosted by Defend Our Democracy yet again calls for answers as to why Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital is not fully open.

The picket outside the hospital on March 4 is the second one hosted by the Defend Our Democracy campaign – the first took place on February 20. The picket, titled ‘Fix and Open Charlotte Maxeke Hospital Now’ is, according to the group, a call to action to put pressure on the Gauteng Provincial Government to urgently prioritise repairs of the hospital.

Tebogo Tenyane, representing patients from Treatment Action Campaign (Tac), said they will go to the provincial offices on March 5 to get their points across and will not rest ‘until they (Tac) start to see heads rolling’.

One organiser at the second picket said, “It is incumbent on us – residents of Johannesburg – to build momentum in demanding the reopening of critical wards. Far too many patients remain on waiting lists to receive the necessary healthcare.”

Director General at Gauteng Office of the Premier, Thabo Masebe arrived during the final minutes of the gathering. Rosebank Killarney Gazette journalist, Naidine Sibanda, was there to record his responses to a memorandum received by his office at the previous picket.

“I know you expected a response from the Premier [David Mahkura] on March 1, I do undertake that I will personally attend to the response to this memo. I will give more details to the things in the memo, once the Premier has seen it.”

These pickets come after a fire ravaged blocks 3 and 4 of the hospital in April last year.

The National Health Department has taken over the institution’s rehabilitation project.

Gauteng government spokesperson Thabo Masebe said on February 17 that a major cause of the delays was that there was no agreement between health and infrastructure development departments.

Ayanda Dakela, chief director for infrastructure and facilities management in the national health department said, so far, they had assessed the building and identified areas that needed urgent attention. He added that the repairs should be complete by 2023.