Latest news with #KZNHealthMEC
IOL News
10-07-2025
- Health
- IOL News
New water treatment plant at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital tackles water supply crisis
Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital board chairperson Ntando Khuzwayo, Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital board deputy Nompumelelo Sithole, Councilor Zamazulu Sokhabase, and KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane during the official unveiling of the water treatment plant at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital. Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers Water supply interruptions might be a thing of the past for Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital now that the facility has a water treatment plant to ensure a reliable supply of clean water. In recent months, the hospital and neighbouring communities were plagued by water supply issues. On Thursday, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane unveiled the R11 million water treatment plant set to mitigate water challenges at the hospital. According to Simelane, the hospital experienced water issues in the latter part of last year and the beginning of this year. A larger issue will arise if the large hospital, which treats about 1,500 patients every day, experiences a water issue. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Today also marks the official opening of the hospital's new water purification plant, which began construction on March 19, 2024,' Simelane said. 'Last time we had a problem, I said we would put in boreholes. Those are ready, but now you can't use the water without cleaning it, hence we needed this purifier. 'Before, our steel tanks would give us water that would last about three days. Now that we've resuscitated the concrete reservoir, we have more storage capacity. Now we will have water that can last us at least five days if there isn't water in the area. 'So we don't foresee ourselves having a water problem moving forward or having a problem that will last us longer,' Simelane continued. 'So we are very excited… if we have a problem, we can intervene and find a solution.' Councilor Zamazulu Sokhabase, KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, and project leader Thanduxolo Dlamini during the official unveiling of the water treatment plant at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital. Image: Tumi Pakkies / Independent Newspapers KZN Department of Health project leader Thanduxolo Dlamini said they had two projects. The first project is a borehole project. They will use the borehole as a secondary water supply source, with the eThekwini Municipality as the main source. Dlamini said there are many water interruptions that hamper service delivery in terms of patient care. 'This is how the back-up water supply project came into being. We don't want to rely solely on municipal water. We want to have a backup water supply. So we explored or we sank four boreholes,' Dlamini said. He explained that the total abstraction rate from the boreholes is 620,000 litres. However, they will only abstract 560,000 litres every 16 hours, so they purify it and take it into the hospital for human consumption. Dlamini said the second project is the concrete reservoir built the same year as the hospital. A couple of years ago, the reservoir leaked severely and lost water, so it was condemned. 'So with these water interruptions going forward, coupled to that was Eskom's load shedding, which the municipal pumps during load shedding don't pump up water, there was a need for us to rehabilitate the concrete reservoir,' Dlamini explained. 'We rehabilitated the concrete reservoir so that we can have at least a five-day water storage in case we do not receive water from the municipality. The total water storage for all three reservoirs is 5.5 megalitres. That is enough for a five-day water storage because the demand for the hospital is 1.1 megalitres per day.'
The Citizen
04-06-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Teen moms avoid healthcare amid fears of reporting rape, discloses KZN health MEC
The health of teen moms and their babies hangs in the balance as young rape victims are too scared to access formal healthcare when giving birth. This was revealed by KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, who said this is owing to the laws compelling those in authority to report the rape. ALSO READ: KZN Health MEC places cervical cancer prevention in spotlight Speaking at a meeting of the Provincial Council on Aids in Durban last Thursday, Simelane expressed her deep concern over the growing number of teenage and child pregnancies, particularly those involving adult men. 'This issue is both a health crisis and a social justice emergency that requires urgent intervention,' she said. 'This puts young girls at high risk, especially when they are forced to give birth in unsafe conditions. South African law defines statutory rape as any sexual activity with a person under the age of 16, and makes the reporting of such cases to law enforcement mandatory.' Simelane believes that an urgent and collaborative dialogue involving parents, traditional leaders, civil society and the government is needed to decisively address this disturbing pattern. 'I want to make a proposal that we lead from the front in combatting this crisis. We need to come together and deal with this matter head on because these activities are happening right where we are. Children get pregnant in our societies in our communities. 'Unless we talk about it and act decisively, we will continue to see young lives destroyed. We are raising a broken generation if we remain silent.' Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
KZN health department owes suppliers over R1. 7bn, raising concerns for small businesses
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health faces significant scrutiny due to a substantial R1.7 billion debt owed to suppliers. Image: File The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health is embroiled in controversy for owing suppliers a staggering R1.7 billion - a situation that is reportedly affecting service delivery in the province. In a written response to a question by the DA's Tim Brauteseth regarding outstanding payments, KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane disclosed that the department's total debts to suppliers stand at R1 740 624 847.03. A table illustrating amounts owned by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health to suppliers. Image: Thobeka Ngema 'The department endeavours to pay all suppliers and service providers within 30 days; however, the cash flow challenges that are facing the KZN Department of Health hinders that,' Simelane said and that the amount will be settled during the first quarter of the next financial year. Simelane added that an amount of R1.7 billion will form part of accruals. These payments could not be paid in the previous financial year because of the department's financial challenges. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ DA KZN spokesperson on health, Dr Imran Keeka, said the party is concerned that KZN businesses are owed an estimated R1.7 billion by the provincial Department of Health (DoH). Keeka said the reply also indicates that of this, R1.33 billion falls within the 60 to 90-day payment period. Meanwhile, there are 1 519 unpaid invoices in the over 90-day period, amounting to just over R71 million. He said it is understandable that these precise figures would have undoubtedly fluctuated, given that such finances always remain fluid. During portfolio committee meetings, Simelane consistently and openly discussed her department's financial difficulties, according to Keeka's observation. 'However, such a situation – the non-payment of suppliers on time - should not have arisen in the first place or to the point where they are affecting services,' Keeka said. 'The concern arising out of the parliamentary reply is that it's very possible that small and medium-sized companies in KZN are worst affected. Equally concerning is that the MEC and acting HOD intimated, during the same meetings, that some service providers, while paid, had not paid their staff. This had led to protest action in some instances implicating the DoH. However, what happens within companies once the DoH has concluded its business with them is beyond its control.' Keeka said the party notes the department has adopted a 'take from Peter to pay Paul' approach to resolve some of the payment issues. This seems to have left some companies struggling more than others. Again, it particularly affects small businesses. Regrettably, this resulted in several suppliers gathering at the department's Pietermaritzburg head office on Monday, demanding payment. 'The response from MEC Simelane confirms that the outstanding amounts due to suppliers will be paid during the first quarter of the new financial year, which began on April 1,' Keeka said. He said the Division of Revenue Bill or the budget, as presented by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on March 12, has been withdrawn, with provinces set to table their budgets within two weeks of May 21. Once KZN's budget is tabled and certainty exists, it is expected that the situation may turn around.
