VUYO MKIZE
SIX YEARS ago, construction of the Zola Hospital Complex project was announced. Now, four years over deadline and more than R1 billion later, residents are hoping for a positive spin-off.
Their hopes are that once this R624.4 million building is complete by December, there will be better service delivery and job creation.
A recent report by the Auditor-General revealed that the ballooning of construction costs for the hospital was due to changes and additions to the scope of work.
It states: “This included a complete revision of the scope of work as the project changed from a 250- to a 300-bed district hospital in 2005, which resulted in the preparation of a new project-implementation plan.”
The hospital will have maternity, paediatric, obstetrics, gynaecology and radiology wards, as well as a pharmacy, outpatient care, and an accident and emergency department, among other services. It spans 18 000m2, and the main building of the hospital has three levels.
The Auditor-General also found that a contract to the value of R334.9m was awarded to a joint venture to construct the hospital complex without the validity of the tax clearance certificates of the members of the joint venture being verified.
“After the withdrawal of three of the joint venture partners, only one contractor remained. The provincial Department of Health entered into a contract with this contractor, to the value of R480 million, in August 2008.
“Subsequently, the provincial Department of Health’s own investigation found that the contractor misrepresented the validity of its tax clearance certificate, with tax returns outstanding since 2004,” the Auditor-General said.
When The Star tried to get comment from Maziya General Services, the construction company contracted to build the complex, we were directed to the project manager, who declined to comment and directed us to the communications officer at the MEC’s office, whose phone went onto voicemail.
In the meantime, however, residents are being treated at the new Zola Gateway Clinic right next to the bigger hospital complex.
Gugu Bhudulwayo said the increase in the number of hospitals and clinics in the area would ease the travelling costs people incur when they go to places such as the clinic in Tladi or Chris Hani-Baragwanath Academic hospital – the only government hospital in Soweto.