Despite promises that the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital would be fully repaired by the end of next year, the fire safety measures will only be achieved in February 2026, according to Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko.
Responding to questions by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, she said the repairs to blocks four and five were due to be completed in December 2023, but “the fire completion work in block one to five and administration relating to the non-compliance findings by the City of Johannesburg will be completed by 26 February 2026”.
The delay in installing fire safety measures is that patients in each of the five blocks will be decanted for six to eight months for each block, said Nkomo-Ralehoko, according to a statement by Bloom on the Politicsweb site. "The faster option recommended by the project management team was that two blocks be worked on simultaneously, but this would have required the decanting of services to other hospitals.
"Clinicians at the hospital opted to keep all the services at the hospital, which means that only one block at a time can be worked on, instead of multiple blocks at the same time. This also means disruption for patients moved from block to block as the fire safety measures are installed.
Nkomo-Ralehoko gives the total cost at R1bn, but this could change due to private donations including the Solidarity Fund and the Gift of the Givers.
The DA has advocated catch-up measures to cut the huge waiting lists for surgery, including the payment of private hospitals to do operations for public patients."
PoliticsWeb article – Full repair of Charlotte Maxeke hospital only in 2026 (Open access)
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Charlotte Maxeke hospital blaze an act of arson – forensic report
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Phaahla: Crime has delayed repairs to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital
Charlotte Maxeke Hospital still ‘a death trap’ for staff and patients