19 Jun 2018

Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Alfred Madigele has assured the leadership of Mahalapye Sub- district that his office would, as a matter of urgency, establish the ownership of the abandoned hospice facility at Mahalapye.

Dr Madigele said, after touring the facility on June 15, that Mahalapye West Member of Parliament Mr Joseph Molefe had, on a number of occasions, appealed to his office to intervene and address the issue since the structure had been lying idle for almost 10 years.

Persistent inquiries by MP Molefe seem to have yielded some positives as Minister Madigele finally visited the facility to get first hand evidence from village authorities.

Details relating to ownership and utilisation of the structures seem to be a deep-rooted issue as sub-district leadership gave contradicting accounts, but none of them claimed ownership of the centre.   

MP Molefe said the centre had been a topical issue at different fora in  Mahalapye.

Mr Molefe said efforts to establish as to why the structure was never utilised from the sub- district leadership had proved to be futile and therefore he appealed to the minister’s office to intervene.

I have conducted several meetings with Dr Kunal Bose who is head of the District Health Management Team (DHMT) to also establish ownership and non-utilisation of the structure and it was unfortunate as I have always received varying responses, he said.

Dr Bose informed the minister that the project was for the community Home Based Care group for Mahalapye and was never a Ministry of Health and Wellness project, saying the hospice belonged to the home based care group.

He explained that it was set up for the community by Global Fund through National AIDS Coordinating Agency and the problem was that it was not clear who was going to use it  hence it remained unoccupied.

Dr Bose said Mahalapye Primary Hospital had, through various platforms, tried negotiating with the owners (Community Home Based Care group) to lease the facility, but their efforts were futile.

Of recent, Dr Bose said DHMT was approached by a couple proposing to run the property on a private basis, but since the facility did not belong to DHMT, the duo were referred to Mahalapye Sub- council as they were the ones taking care of the centre.

 Kgosi Duncan Segotsi of Mahalapye was also clueless as to who owned the property, adding that he was also not aware that the property was handed over to the community after completion.

As the community leader, I am not aware of the fact that the hospice was a community project, he said.

 “All I know is that the security company that was taking care of the premises was engaged by the council,” he added

Meanwhile, Mahalapye Sub- council chairperson, Mr Tassman Cebani also claimed no knowledge of ownership of the centre.

“All we did was to provide security to protect the property from vandalism,” he said.

Cllr Cebani added that sub- council at one stage also treated the soil at the property to control termites that had invaded it.

He however said of recent the council had pulled out from providing security services at the hospice as there was indication that the hospital authorities were taking over the property.

Early this year, MP Molefe had asked Parliament to give an update on the status of the property relating to ownership and the fact that it was non-operational.

Responding to the question, the then Assistant Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr Dikgang Makgalemele had stated that Mahalapye Hospice construction was funded by Global Fund to support the local Community Home Based Care volunteers.

Mr Makgalemele had indicated that the structure was completed in 2011 and handed over to the group in 2012.

He added that the structure had not been utilised for almost 10 years due to financial constraints.

Mr Makgalemele said the structure came into existence as an initiation of the Home Based Care volunteers through the support of Mahalapye DHMT.

Mr Makgalemele had however assured MP Molefe that the facility would operate immediately upon completion of consultations between all key stakeholders.

He further indicated that the facility was never meant to run as a hospice. Ends