Tshwane restores electricity at Weskoppies Hospital after commitment to settle debt
The city of Tshwane has restored electricity at Weskoppies Hospital after the department of health committed to settling a R1.2m debt in overdue electricity charges.
On Monday, the city cut off electricity supply due to the outstanding debt, sparking a backlash from the public.
The department of health clarified payment processing was under way, but delays occurred due to the transition to the new financial year.
'The hospital normally makes additional payments to ensure continuous electricity supply, but this time it could not do so,' said health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.
'The owed amount is being processed for payment. Yesterday [Monday] the department processed R3.8m to the city [for] other facilities in Tshwane. The money was scheduled for payment [for Monday] as part of the payment run to service providers.'
Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya confirmed the city would proceed with reconnecting power.
The health department confirmed power was restored at the hospital on Tuesday after the agreement with the city.
Moya said the city had previously agreed not to disconnect services but had to act due to nonpayment.
'The city did not act without due process,' Moya said.
'In good faith, we previously agreed not to proceed with disconnection, recognising the department of health's financial year-end in March and accepting their assurance payment would be made in early April. Despite many follow-ups, no payment was received, leaving the city with no alternative but to act.'
The decision to disconnect electricity at the hospital was met with criticism, with many accusing the city of being insensitive to the potential impact on patients. Moya said the decision was not taken lightly.
'We are sensitive to the critical role hospitals play and deeply respect the work of healthcare professionals, and the duty of care owed to the most vulnerable in our society. However, the city has a responsibility to apply its credit control measures fairly and consistently across all customers, including government departments.'
She assured residents the hospital's backup power system had been functioning during the disconnection, ensuring patient care was not severely impacted.
'I would not have allowed the disconnection if it would have left the facility without power and the subsequent impact on patient care.'
Government departments owe the city more than R1.6bn. Moya emphasised the importance of recovering the funds to deliver quality services and restore Tshwane's financial health.
She said it's the city's responsibility to apply credit control measures fairly and consistently across all customers, including government departments.
'It is only fair credit control measures are applied consistently, and all customers are treated equally. This approach strengthens the city's finances and protects the integrity of our service delivery systems.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
Wordplay won't save patients' lives
Surgical waiting lists in Gauteng are called dynamic, but cancer patients can't wait months for life-saving treatment. It is extraordinary that Gauteng department of health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba concedes there are 34 528 patients on surgical waiting lists across public hospitals in the province, but denies that's a backlog. He says 'it is important to differentiate between surgical backlogs and waiting lists' because the waitlist 'is a dynamic figure as it fluctuates when new patients are registered on the waiting list and when surgeries are performed'. That's bound to be of some comfort to the people with life-threatening conditions – such as cancer patients – who have been told they will have to wait up to eight months to go to theatre. One man we spoke to doesn't have that time… he will probably be dead before getting to the front of the queue. ALSO READ: Over 34 000 patients waiting for surgeries in Gauteng's public hospitals The clever wordplay does not disguise the fact that our government hospitals – especially in Gauteng – are a sluggish, overburdened mess. No doubt the ANC will prescribe a stiff dose of National Health Insurance to cure these ills. But all we can see is the massive amounts of money squeezed out of salary earners for the scheme will be squandered or stolen. Whistle-blower Babita Deokaran discovered that at Tembisa Hospital – and paid for her bravery with her life. NOW READ: Getting help with Botox
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Weskoppies Hospital remains fully operational despite power cut, says Gauteng Health
The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has confirmed that Weskoppies Psychiatric Hospital remains fully operational and that patient care has not been compromised, despite the disconnection of electricity at the facility by the City of Tshwane on Monday. According to the department, the power cut occurred while a payment of R1.2 million for March and April electricity consumption was already being processed. The delay in settling the account has been attributed to the transition into the new financial year. 'The hospital normally makes additional payments to ensure continuous electricity supply, however, this time around it could not do so,' said the Gauteng health spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, adding that the outstanding amount is currently in the payment process. In the meantime, the facility has remained functional through the use of five backup generators and a solar power system. 'We want to assure the public again that the backup power supply system, which includes five generators and a solar system at Weskoppies, is fully operational, and patient care will continue uninterrupted while the normal electricity supply is being reconnected,' said Modiba. The department also highlighted that, on the same day as the power disconnection, it had already paid R3.8 million to the City of Tshwane in relation to other healthcare facilities in the municipality.
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Eyewitness News
GDoH says plans in place to ensure health facilities are unaffected by Rand Water maintenance
JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) says it has contingency plans in place to ensure public health facilities are not affected by Rand Water's infrastructure maintenance. The water utility on Thursday began its planned maintenance, which is set to finish next Monday. Residents have been warned that several areas in the Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metros will experience low pressure to no running water. The department said, amongst other contingency plans, municipalities will help in dispatching water tankers to the affected health facilities in the three districts. "As part of these measures, most of our facilities, if they are a clinic, they'll have JoJo tank, in hospitals, they will have boreholes and reservoirs that can at least supply or store water for a couple of days. We have also put in other measures to augment that supply through outsourcing additional water supply," said Gauteng Health spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba.
