R20 Million Later, Still No Clinic: Sebokeng’s Boitumelo Project Becomes a Monument to Mismanagement

R20 Million Later, Still No Clinic: Sebokeng’s Boitumelo Project Becomes a Monument to Mismanagement

Ten years ago, the people of Sebokeng’s Boitumelo section were promised a new community clinic, a proper facility that would replace their overcrowded, crumbling temporary one. Today, that promise stands as little more than a concreted pit, an incomplete wall, and a scar on the landscape where R20 million in public funds have disappeared.

For locals, the Boitumelo Community Health Centre has become more of a ghost project than a beacon of hope, a decade-long story of failed contractors, alleged corruption, and bureaucratic neglect that continues to rob residents of dignity and healthcare.

A Clinic That Never Was

Construction on the Boitumelo clinic began in 2015, meant to serve the growing population of Sebokeng and ease the burden on nearby facilities. But nearly a decade later, patients are still being treated inside prefabricated structures, where peeling paint, broken windows, and cramped rooms are the norm.

“I’ve been coming here for years,” said 75-year-old patient, Mam’ Masego, standing beneath a frayed canvas that barely shields patients from the sun. “When it rains, we get soaked. When it’s hot, we burn. They said a new clinic was coming, but I’ve never seen it.”

Inside, nurses squeeze between boxes and outdated equipment. Patient files pile up on desks, and basic services are delivered under constant strain. “We don’t even have proper space for storage,” one nurse shared quietly. “We make do because our people need us, but it’s not safe or sustainable.”

R20 Million Spent, but Nothing to Show

The Gauteng Department of Health confirmed that the Boitumelo project has cycled through three contractors, each one paid, each one failing to deliver. Officials blame “poor contractor performance” and “community unrest,” but residents and opposition politicians tell a different story.

Kingsol Chabalala, DA constituency head for Emfuleni North, accused the department of concealing deeper issues.

“This project is a symptom of what’s wrong in Gauteng’s infrastructure delivery,” Chabalala said. “We hear of construction mafias, often linked to politically connected groups, demanding cuts from contractors. When they’re refused, work stops and our communities suffer.”

His words echo what many locals already believe: that money meant for healthcare has been hijacked by greed and political patronage.

A Bigger Crisis in Gauteng’s Health System

Boitumelo’s failure is not an isolated case. Across the province, Gauteng’s health infrastructure is buckling under corruption and poor oversight. The now-infamous Johannesburg Forensic Laboratory project meant to cost R700 million, has already burned through an additional R200 million due to flawed engineering designs and mismanagement.

The Department of Health says it’s now trying to recover those funds from consultants while overhauling its infrastructure approach.

Xolisani Galada, deputy director-general for infrastructure development, said the department has introduced a new model that gives the provincial health department direct responsibility for maintaining facilities.

With 504 health facilities across the province, including 37 hospitals, community health centres, and EMS services, Galada admitted that the R1.1 billion annual budget for maintenance is “far below what’s needed.”

“Each facility effectively gets around R2.2 million a year,” he said. “It’s simply not enough.”

A Hole That Symbolises a System in Decay

The Boitumelo site, fenced off and forgotten, has become a powerful metaphor for what happens when accountability vanishes in government spending. Locals say it’s not just a construction failure; it’s a betrayal of trust.

“We don’t need fancy words,” said one resident, shaking her head. “We just need a place to get our medicine and see a nurse without standing in the rain.”

Until then, the R20 million hole will continue to stare back at Sebokeng’s residents, a silent reminder of how South Africa’s public healthcare system keeps promising more than it delivers.

The Boitumelo clinic disaster isn’t just about a building that was never finished, it’s about people left waiting for basic care, while millions of rands vanish into the cracks of a broken system.

{Source: The Citizen}

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