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Patients admitted to Hewu Hospital in the Eastern Cape are subjected to cold wards with no heaters and dilapidated prefabricated walls.
Situated at Whittlesea about 35 km from Queenstown, also known as Komani, it serves nearly 298,000 people from 36 villages. In April this year, the hospital’s board chairperson, Zukile Khondlo, wrote to Premier Lubabalo Mabuyane, saying “only 168 of the 229 beds in the hospital are usable”. The facility has not had any major renovations since it started operating in 1988.
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Lwando Thembani who was discharged from the hospital on 13 June 2025 says his experience at the hospital was shocking.
“The ceilings are falling, the heaters are not working. The TV’s are not working and the fabricated walls have holes,” says Thembani.
He says when the power went off, they were told that there is no diesel for backup generators. Patients and the staff had to use phones to move around at night.
The hospital board wants the premier to intervene in filling vacant staff positions, rebuilding the hospital and fixing the water and electricity issues facing the hospital.
In his letter, Khondlo says the old prefabricated materials buildings are colder when it is cold and hot when it’s warm, and when it is raining “it feels like one is in a shack”.
“The patients feel unsafe in this type of building and some refuse admission especially when it is raining,” the letter states.
In addition the hospital is facing a severe nursing staff shortage; there’s no nursing service manager, no midwives, one theatre trained nurse.
“The gross shortage of staff has been reported to the Chris Hani Health District management and Provincial Department of Health but no actions are taken.”
Municipal debt
A concerned community member, Thembelani Mbetheni says the hospital is in a serious mess.
“Now that there is no water, it’s a struggle to give patients pills. The department previously told the community that the hospital was supposed to be renovated and an estimated amount of R50 million was set aside for that but nothing was done.”
He says it is shocking that the municipality cuts the water supply to the hospital as it is an essential service.
“There are many challenges at the hospital, and the government is doing nothing to resolve them.”
Department of Health spokesman Siyanda Manana says the hospital’s water supply is connected to the community of Dongwe township and when the municipality limits water usage, the hospital is affected. Since November last year, Chris Hani District Municipality switched off the hospital’s water supply three times – in November 2024, April 2025, and May 2025 – after failing to pay its bills.
Chris Hani District Municipality spokesperson Thobeka Mqamelo says Hewu hospital owes an amount of R1,618,284.82 as of 30 April 2025.
“In May, the Customer was alerted of the water service debt, in line with our credit control and debt collection policy. Subsequently, 14-day pre-termination notices were issued, and the customer acknowledged receipt of the notices and the actions that were to be taken if the customer did not make the necessary payments or arrangements. The customer did not comply with the notices, instead advanced commitments for payment that were never realised,” she says.
Manana says the health department stepped in when the hospital’s water was disconnected.
“Water was disconnected due to non-payment or delay in payment of the hospital bill. The health department’s finance manager in Chris Hani district has engaged with the municipality’s chief financial officer in all three instances, resulting in the reconnection of the water supply,” says Manana.
Repairs are underway
Manana concedes that the hospital is old and the buildings don’t meet standards set in the regulations, including the ideal hospital model.
“The project for maintenance and improvements to Hewu hospital is the departmental infrastructure asset management plan, a ten-year infrastructure plan running from 2024-2034,” he says.
Initial attempts to repair the hospital started in 2018 with fence completion in August 2018.
“Sakhiwo Health Solution was assigned to the task to task of renovations, but the contract ended and was not renewed, then the second initiation was given to the Department of Public Works.
“Currently the project is in stage two, the design process will have to be accelerated to achieve its readiness for implementation and find expression in the 2026/27 annual implementation plan. In the meantime, minor repairs are being attended to by providers,” Manana says. – Health-e News
