Keynote Address By Hon Jeff Radebe, Minister of Energy on the official unveiling of clinics in Mossel Bay Local Municipality, Western Cape Province 14 March 2019
Programme Director
Honourable MEC of Health in the Western Cape, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo
Alderman Mayor, Mr Harry Levendal and all Municipal Executive present
Chairpersons of CEF, Mr Luvo Makasi
Chairperson of PetroSA, Mr Nhlanhla Gumede and all PetroSA Executives present
Members of the Media
Community of Asla Park, KwaNonqaba, Mossel Bay
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning, It is with great pleasure and honour that we are here today to handover these health infrastructure projects courtesy of PetroSA. As you know, PetroSA is a State-Owned Enterprise under the Department of Energy. Like other SoEs, PetroSA plays a pivotal role in the delivery of social and economic infrastructure essential for service delivery and for the advancement of our communities.
Our constitution gives the promise of a better life for all. However, this promise is premised on all of us playing our respective roles to ensure a comprehensive redress of all the societal ills wrought by the system of apartheid.
I know some wish we could no longer speak about apartheid. There is no way we can forget about a system that continue to define the challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Ours social patterns still bear the hallmarks of partied socioeconomic engineering.
As Madiba declared, we too must declare our own long walk to socioeconomic freedom. As government we will continue to provide overall leadership. But it is incumbent that All of us participate in fulfilling this constitutional promise for a better life for all. I am glad that PetroSA has answered this call.
CEF also answered the call and spearheaded the distribution of school shoes to the most needy children in the most impoverished areas of our country. We call on the private sector to continue to lend a hand as we all answer the call: Thuma Mina! The process of building and improving our country and communities is a journey in which every step, big or small, gradually brings us closer to the desired destination.
Twenty five years after the dawn of the democratic dispensation we, as a nation, continue to move steadfastly in our journey towards the realisation of a better society for all.
Although it is not an easy journey and things do not always go the way they should, one thing that is clear is the resolve of government and the people of South Africa not to be distracted by the many obstacles along the way.
As many have said before, freedom and democracy will have little meaning until the socio-economic conditions of ordinary people in our communities are changed to improve the quality of their lives.
This means having decent jobs, safe communities, access to quality healthcare and good healthcare infrastructure. Our gathering here today is to celebrate this achievement by handing over three healthcare facilities, namely, D’Almeida clinic, Alma clinic and Asla Park clinic.
These facilities will have a significant positive impact on lives of the people of the community of KwaNonqaba and will move us closer to the realisation of a better life for all.
D’Almeida clinic
This project involved the extension of an existing infrastructure, at a cost of R3.9 million, to include the medical dispensing unit, widening of the waiting area, consulting rooms and improvements in the key patient interfaces.
Through this work, access to comprehensive primary health care provision has been enhanced especially in critical areas such as child health, HIV/AIDS, Women’s health, curative services for minor illnesses, TB services, occupational physiotherapy, and chronic diseases management.
During the construction phase of the project, employment opportunities were offered to more than 60 local residents including some from the surrounding areas. I am further pleased that the main contractor for this extension is a 100% local BEE company which used local material and afforded at least 85% of labour to local people.
To date, the total number of patients visits recorded since the opening of the Dental Unit in October 2017 were 4647. Services ranged from dental consultations (examinations), treatment of pain and sepsis, dental x-rays, dental fillings, cleaning of teeth and fissure sealants to fluoride treatments.
I am particularly pleased to announce that this clinic currently treats on average about 12,000 patients.
Alma clinic
This project involved the construction of a dental unit next to an existing facility, i.e. the Alma clinic, at a cost of R3 million.
The Dental Unit was completed in 2017 and enabled a seamless specialised dental area away from the existing structure.
This new Dental Unit facility moved from Mossel Bay Provincial Hospital to provide dental care services closer to the community offering convenient and improved dental care facilities in the community. Again, I am pleased to announce that a 100% BEE local company was used employing at least 90% of local labour and locally sourced material.
Asla Park clinic
This is a brand new clinic which was built at a total cost of R17 million.
This project started in 2017 but could not be finished due to construction supplier problems. I am pleased the community did not give up hope instead it supported PetroSA and remained patient during these difficult times.
Again, it is on record that PetroSA used a 100% BEE local company during the construction phase of the project and all the sub-contractors were also appointed locally.
The clinic, the first of its kind in the Southern Cape, will offload the backlog from the Alma and D’Almieda clinics, and will boast a fully functional in-house pharmacy, major primary healthcare needs for the community of Asla and surrounding areas. The total value of investment made by PetroSA to the healthcare services in this community is R23, 9 million.
We are proud as the Department of Energy to have provided oversight over our own entity, PetroSA, during the execution of these projects whose main objective is to deliver better healthcare facilities in order to ensure a better life for all.
Other Community Development Projects
The focus of the PetroSA Community Investments has mainly been in the Mossel Bay area, the home to its GTL refinery. PetroSA has spent over R56 million in community development in the past five years.
I am particularly pleased that, over this period, PetroSA also focused on youth development especially with the construction of the Great Brak Youth Café, the refurbishment of twenty one communal Early Child Development Centres around Mossel Bay, the building of schools and other social infrastructure facilities in both the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces.
In conclusion, I cannot overemphasize the critical importance of working together with our communities in delivering good quality healthcare services in the quest to improve the lives of our people. It is equally important that communities should take good care of all these facilities and ensure that they serve the purpose of which they were meant for.
I would therefore like to appeal to the community of KwaNonqaba to look after these facilities and guard against theft, destruction and vandalism. These facilities are yours, make sure that future generations would also benefit from their services.
Collectively we must condemn the acts of vandalism that often derive excuse from service delivery or related protests. Surely it cannot be that whilst we want more development, we destroy the developmental strides already attained.
I would like to thank the MEC of Health, the Mayor and Municipality of Mossel Bay, for their cooperation in delivering these projects and making today a great success.
My heartfelt gratitude goes to the workers, whom I was told were coming from the community of KwaNonqaba, for delivering such good quality projects on time.
Thank you for your efforts, dedication and hard work throughout the challenging construction period.
I hope you and your families will enjoy the fruits of your hard labour as you benefit from better healthcare services provided by these new facilities.
I thank you!
