Residents have had enough with Bethal Hospital project
Locals have been picketing outside the hospital since 9 January.
BETHAL – Locals were up in arms over employment and tenders for the Bethal Hospital Project on Thursday, 9 February.
Disgruntled residents and local business owners stopped the project at the hospital and said the Department of Health and the main contractor are ignoring them.
According to them, the project is not empowering locals and the main contractor is not adhering to the service level agreement.
Locals have been picketing outside the hospital since 9 January and have had several petitions in which they declared their dissatisfaction with the project.
They have lost confidence in the steering committee and said members have personal interests in the project.
Some are allegedly subcontractors and residents wonder how they are representing the interest of the people.
“We want this steering committee disbanded and the community liaison officer must go, because they were never appointed according to the right procedure from the word go.
“We also want to know how the main contractors are going to implement the 30 per cent corporate social investment.
“When will they begin to appoint local companies and when are they going to pay the labourers according to the government gazette?” asked Mr Thando Zwane, chairman of the Bethal Business Forum.
Residents decided to stop the project, because they were promised to be addressed, but nobody pitched up.
Mr King Mahlangu, steering committee member, was under pressure and tried to explain his side to the residents.
However nobody wanted to listen to him and the crowd shouted: “Stop lying to us.”
Residents said though they are receiving death threats for disrupting the project, they are ready to die for what is right.
Mr Sputnick van der Merwe, a resident, alleged he was assaulted and beaten by members of the MKVA.
“I opened a case at the Bethal Police Station, but nothing has been done yet.
“I was hospitalised for a day, but refused to sleep at the hospital because I heard about serious threats of assassination.
“I gave the police information and told them who assaulted me, but I wonder why nobody has been arrested.”
The project was launched by Mr Gillion Mashego, MEC of the Department of Health, in November.
It is worth R560-m and the anticipated completion date is 10 September 2019.
The aim is to demolish existing buildings and to replace them with new ones.
The work will be done in three phases to ensure there are no disruptions and the hospital is fully functional during construction.
Police are investigating Mr Van der Merwe’s case.
