
Limpopo Central Academic Hospital on track for 2028 completion
Quick story
Health Dept spokesperson Foster Mohale confirmed the Limpopo Central Academic Hospital is set for practical completion by May 31, 2028.
Enza Construction broke ground in 2023 on the 25-hectare site and has completed early infrastructure work.
Key progress includes stormwater systems, bulk electricity, sewer and water lines, and concrete structures.
The R4 billion project has so far created 955 jobs, surpassing its initial 950-person target.
Of these, 537 are youths, and 19 are adult women.
Despite progress, local business forums and job seekers continue to express frustration over limited participation.
Full story
POLOKWANE – Health spokesperson Foster Mohale this week confirmed that completion of the Limpopo Central Academic Hospital remains on track for practical completion by May 31, 2028.
Enza Construction, the main contractor, broke ground in 2023 on the 25-hectare site, and early works such as concrete structures, bulk electricity connections, substations, stormwater ponds and piping, as well as sewer and water pipelines, are currently underway.
You might also want to read: Limpopo Central Hospital's construction is on track
Despite visible progress at the construction site, certain groups continue to raise questions over whether local communities are benefitting from the massive public project.
This comes as the latest report from the Department of Health reveals steady infrastructural progress but highlights lingering concerns around employment equity and business inclusion.
The report addresses growing unrest among local business forums and job seekers, many of whom feel sidelined from meaningful participation in the R4b-plus development.
In 2023, protests temporarily stalled progress as business forums demanded greater transparency and access to contracts and jobs.
Read more: Operations at academic hospital construction site halted by forum
A previous site visit by former Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla sought to address these concerns.
Project manager Deon van der Merwe said at the time that local participation would increase as the project matured.
To date, 54 Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have benefitted, with contracts totalling R44m. Eight of these companies are based in Polokwane or the Capricorn District, and eight are female-owned.
Job creation data reveals that 659 people have been employed since the project's inception, including 537 youths and 19 adult women. The latest employment chart, included in the report, shows the project has slightly surpassed its 950-person target, currently employing 955 people.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags

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
Limpopo Central Academic Hospital on track for 2028 completion
Quick story Health Dept spokesperson Foster Mohale confirmed the Limpopo Central Academic Hospital is set for practical completion by May 31, 2028. Enza Construction broke ground in 2023 on the 25-hectare site and has completed early infrastructure work. Key progress includes stormwater systems, bulk electricity, sewer and water lines, and concrete structures. The R4 billion project has so far created 955 jobs, surpassing its initial 950-person target. Of these, 537 are youths, and 19 are adult women. Despite progress, local business forums and job seekers continue to express frustration over limited participation. Full story POLOKWANE – Health spokesperson Foster Mohale this week confirmed that completion of the Limpopo Central Academic Hospital remains on track for practical completion by May 31, 2028. Enza Construction, the main contractor, broke ground in 2023 on the 25-hectare site, and early works such as concrete structures, bulk electricity connections, substations, stormwater ponds and piping, as well as sewer and water pipelines, are currently underway. You might also want to read: Limpopo Central Hospital's construction is on track Despite visible progress at the construction site, certain groups continue to raise questions over whether local communities are benefitting from the massive public project. This comes as the latest report from the Department of Health reveals steady infrastructural progress but highlights lingering concerns around employment equity and business inclusion. The report addresses growing unrest among local business forums and job seekers, many of whom feel sidelined from meaningful participation in the R4b-plus development. In 2023, protests temporarily stalled progress as business forums demanded greater transparency and access to contracts and jobs. Read more: Operations at academic hospital construction site halted by forum A previous site visit by former Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla sought to address these concerns. Project manager Deon van der Merwe said at the time that local participation would increase as the project matured. To date, 54 Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have benefitted, with contracts totalling R44m. Eight of these companies are based in Polokwane or the Capricorn District, and eight are female-owned. Job creation data reveals that 659 people have been employed since the project's inception, including 537 youths and 19 adult women. The latest employment chart, included in the report, shows the project has slightly surpassed its 950-person target, currently employing 955 people. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!


The Citizen
21-06-2025
- The Citizen
Health department urges 21 000 missing HIV/Aids patients to come forward
About 21 000 HIV/Aids patients in Mpumalanga have disappearing without a trace. HIV/Aids patients who have stopped taking their treatment and disappeared without a trace have been urged to come forward and get assistance to prevent the spread of the virus. This comes after it was recently revealed that more than 20 000 patients who tested positive in Mpumalanga discontinued treatment and disappeared without a trace. Health Department tries to find missing HIV patients Speaking to The Citizen on Friday, Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said: 'There are many people who tested positive for HIV, but never continue with lifesaving ARVs, hence we have recently launched a campaign to find 1.1 million of them and put them in treatment by 31 December 2025. 'I can confirm that so far, we have already reached 520 700 and initiated treatment, which includes women, men and children. This is more than 50% of the target we set ourselves to reach by the end of the year.' ALSO READ: Mpumalanga silent on 21 000 missing HIV patients Be that as it may, Mohale said the campaign was not solely about finding the missing HIV patients. Still, the country's efforts to reach a target of 95% of HIV-positive people knowing their status includes putting those infected on treatment to avoid further infection. Why patients stop their HIV/Aids treatment Addressing the problem last year, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said some of the patients discontinued their treatment because they were annoyed that they had to collect their medication every three months, instead of being given medication for six months. Some patients also blamed the clinics. 'Many have started on treatment and then stopped because of the poor conditions and unwelcoming environment in clinics,' said the TAC's Morongwa Ntini. ALSO READ: Groundbreaking HIV trial shows patients can control virus without ART Ntini said offering a six-month plan will motivate patients to stay on treatment as there will be no need for them to visit clinics as often, while the clinic staff will not have to deal with long queues. In Mpumalanga, it recently transpired that more than 20,000 patients who tested positive discontinued treatment and disappeared without a trace.


The Citizen
17-06-2025
- The Citizen
Who should employ health inspectors?
Department of health admits to shortage but says it is the responsibility of municipalities to hire them. Health inspectors, together with police, Gauteng traffic wardens, officials from home affairs and Growing Gauteng Together 2030 visit spaza shops in Soweto to check if owners comply with regulations. Picture: AFP South Africa has a shortage of public health inspectors, according to officials, but it is not clear who should employ them. Public health inspectors' roles are vital as their job includes the enforcement of health, safety and sanitation regulations to protect the public. They play a vital role in protecting the public against foodborne diseases such as food poisoning incidents that engulfed the country last year and claimed the lives of 22 children, leaving hundreds hospitalised. Recently, a group of unemployed health inspectors accused government of failing to fulfil its promise to employ more than 500 of them. After the foodborne disease outbreak was declared a national disaster last year, government said Treasury would allocate more than R200 million for the employment of inspectors. Who should hire inspectors? Department of health spokesperson Foster Mohale admitted there was a shortage, but said it was the responsibility of municipalities to hire them. 'There is a shortage, the relevant institutions are being engaged to see how they can prioritise the appointment of inspectors. It must be noted that this may not address the staff shortage, but will make the situation better. 'The department has been conducting assessments and advising municipalities to plan, budget and appoint inspectors to address shortages. 'But this cannot be achieved overnight. It will require a focused plan and allocation of resources. Appointment of inspectors is not the only function municipalities are expected to do, as it is one of many services that municipalities should prioritise and balance with other services,' said Mohale. Even though Mohale said it was not his department's responsibility to employ the practitioners, he denied that government had promised to employ 520 health inspectors. ALSO READ: Food safety crisis looms He said Treasury had not allocated any funds to the department for the appointment of health inspectors. 'The national department has never contradicted any of its laws. Municipal health services is a function devolved to district and metropolitan municipalities in terms of the National Health Act. The department is the custodian of health in SA, which includes oversight of preventative health services such as environmental health,' said Mohale. He added that according to the constitution, the responsibility for municipal health services, including environmental health services, as defined in the National Health Act, rested with local government. 'Metropolitan and district municipalities are therefore mandated to provide these services and are responsible for appointing the inspectors.' Request to Treasury Mohale said a request had been submitted to Treasury to explore funding for the temporary appointment of the inspectors, while legislative processes were considered to review the assignment of the food control function. Discussions with Treasury were ongoing and the outcome pending, he said. 'A joint circular has been issued to all 52 district and metropolitan municipalities by the departments of health and cooperative governance and traditional affairs, urging the immediate prioritisation of the inspectors' appointments.' He agreed that the shortage of inspectors was one of the issues compounding the foodborne illness outbreak. But cooperative governance and traditional affairs spokesperson Legadima Leso denied it was his department's responsibility to employ the practitioners and referred questions back to the department of health. NOW READ: Spaza shops: Joburg and Tshwane have far fewer health inspectors than recommended