The Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro Treatment Centre in Cullinan is standing empty while Gauteng continues to face a growing substance abuse crisis.

This raises questions about the management of one of the province’s largest state-funded rehabilitation facilities, giving relief, especially to residents of Pretoria.

The issue came under scrutiny after a recent oversight inspection in February by the DA, which revealed that the centre has had no patients since the beginning of the year, despite the high demand for rehabilitation services.

Patients were relocated at the end of 2025 from the Cullinan facility to allow for renovations.

According to DA Gauteng shadow MEC for social development Refiloe Nt’sekhe, the situation stands in stark contrast to statements made by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi during the recent State of the Province Address.

Lesufi described the Tswa Daar anti-substance abuse campaign as a success.

The Tswa Daar campaign is an anti-substance abuse initiative launched by the Gauteng provincial government in October 2025 to combat drug and alcohol addiction across the province.

Nt’sekhe said the centre, which has a capacity of about 200 patients, had previously accommodated around 600 people during the campaign.

While the government has presented the campaign as a success, critics argue that some facilities became overcrowded.

“The rehabilitation centre has been standing empty from January, and this was confirmed again by the MEC for Social Development, Faith Mazebuko, early in March when she responded to my oral question in the legislature.”

The centre was previously the largest state-run substance abuse treatment facility in Gauteng and played a central role in the Tswa Daar campaign, which aimed to address the province’s growing drug crisis.

However, Nt’sekhe said the rollout of the campaign at the Cullinan facility created serious operational challenges.

“The centre has a capacity of 200 but it ended up admitting about 600 patients during the Tswa Daar campaign,” she said.

According to Nt’sekhe, the sudden influx of patients placed immense strain on the facility and created a chaotic environment.

Nt’sekhe added that the facility’s kitchen was designed to prepare meals for about 200 people, but suddenly had to feed three times that number.

Security also became a major challenge during the period when the facility was overcrowded.

“The security staff were given additional security responsibilities together with the AmaPanyaza, but jointly they struggled to control the movement of clients between the men’s and women’s sections.”

She said this led to situations where male and female patients were able to interact, which is against the rules of the facility.

Nt’sekhe believes the decision to close the entire facility during the renovation process is deeply concerning.

She questioned why the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) did not implement the renovations in phases to keep parts of the centre operational.

“When responding to my oral questions, the MEC stated that renovations could not be done section by section because builders must be kept away from the clients,” Nt’sekhe said. “I beg to differ.”

She pointed out that the layout of the facility would have allowed for different sections to be renovated while others remained operational.

“The women’s section is about a kilometre from the men’s section,” she said. “They could have renovated the men’s section while keeping the women’s section open, and after completion, moved the women there while renovating the other section.”

While the centre remains empty, concerns have also been raised about the cost of still maintaining the facility.

Nt’sekhe said the DA received information from a whistleblower suggesting that employees are still being paid and contracts remain active despite the absence of patients.

The situation is particularly troubling, she said, given the scale of the substance abuse crisis facing Gauteng.

“We agree with the premier that drugs are destroying our communities,” Nt’sekhe said. “However, to give rehabilitation, which is in high demand, there needs to be a proper public and private partnership.”

She also criticised the decision to end the department’s relationship with Life Nkanyisa, a facility that previously provided hundreds of rehabilitation beds.

Life Nkanyisa was a major private substance abuse rehabilitation provider in Gauteng, operating large facilities in Randfontein and Witpoort/Brakpan, offering structured residential treatment for hundreds of patients referred by the GDSD.

Until funding was withdrawn in 2023–2024, Life Nkanyisa partnered with the provincial government to accommodate hundreds of public-sector patients.

“MEC Mazibuko said Life Nkanyisa, which had about 600 beds, was defunded because of alleged accountability challenges,” she said.

Combined with the closure of the Dr Fabian and Florence Ribeiro Treatment Centre for renovations, and the underutilisation of other facilities like Kempton Hospital, thousands of people in need of treatment have limited access to care.

“Kempton Hospital has been standing as a white elephant for years,” she said. “Private organisations have asked to convert it into a private rehabilitation centre, but these proposals are falling on deaf ears.”

The DA has also raised concerns about stalled infrastructure projects aimed at expanding rehabilitation services.

Nt’sekhe said the GDSD spent R34.2-million planning a rehabilitation centre in Tembisa, yet construction has not begun.

“The facility should have been prioritised for completion,” she said. “We need rehabilitation facilities that are fully functional, well-resourced and properly managed so that they can serve the people who need them most,” she said.

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