UPDATE: Telephone lines down at two major Gauteng hospitals

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has confirmed that telephone lines at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital are currently offline due to suspected damage to optical fibre cables.

According to the department, the disruption has affected both incoming and outgoing calls at the two major public healthcare facilities, severely limiting telephone communication with patients, staff, and service providers.

The department confirmed that lines were later restored.

Fibre cable damage suspected

In a statement on Sunday, the department said technical teams had been dispatched and were working to resolve the issue.

“Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital are currently experiencing technical difficulties with their telephone systems, suspected to be linked to damaged optical fibre cables,” said the department.

“Two separate cases have been logged with Telkom, and technicians are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full telephone functionality as soon as possible.”

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Alternative contact numbers shared

While efforts to repair the fibre cables are underway, members of the public have been urged to use temporary contact numbers to reach the hospitals.

“In the meantime, the public can contact the hospitals using the alternative numbers provided to reach the appropriate service points,” the department advised.

These alternative numbers are available on the department’s website and official social media platforms.

The department apologised for the inconvenience caused and called for patience as technicians work to resolve the problem.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding during this time,” the statement concluded.

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Water supply restored to Gauteng health facilities

Furthermore, water supply has been restored to nearly all Gauteng public health facilities that were affected by Johannesburg Water’s ongoing infrastructure maintenance.

Department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba confirmed on Saturday that Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, South Rand Hospital, Helen Joseph Hospital, and Alexandra Community Health Centre (CHC) were now back to full water supply.

“We are pleased that most of our facilities impacted by the ongoing maintenance work have had their water supply restored as of Thursday afternoon,” said Modiba.

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Hillbrow CHC still affected

However, Hillbrow Community Health Centre remains affected due to ongoing water supply issues in the surrounding area.

“The entire Hillbrow area is still impacted. We continue to rely on Johannesburg Water to supply tankers to refill JoJo tanks on site,” Modiba said, adding that services at the facility have not been interrupted.

Call for cooperation and understanding

Modiba thanked the public for their patience and emphasised the importance of ongoing infrastructure maintenance.

“This maintenance work is critical for the future security of the water supply in the province,” he said.

“We must continue cooperating with utilities like Rand Water and Johannesburg Water, especially when they issue notices about planned interruptions.”

He reiterated that while emergency plans remain in place, the department is working closely with water utilities and municipalities to minimise disruptions.

“We truly appreciate the work being done in this area,” Modiba said.

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