Health and Wellness
With reference to the Klipfontein Regional Hospital that was set to replace the decommissioned GF Jooste Hospital, and the ongoing delays this project has faced, and in the 2026 budget, funding is allocated to the “Metro West Hospital”, previously called the Klipfontein Regional Hospital:
- Whether the Metro West Hospital is the same project as the Klipfontein Regional Hospital; if not, where is or will the Metro West Hospital be located; if so, (a) why is the site on which the GF Jooste Hospital was previously located not being used for the project and (b) where is the new site for the hospital located;
- whether new land was acquired or bought for this relocation; if so, what was the cost of acquiring the land;
- with regard to the approximately R4,3 billion that has been reported as allocated to the Klipfontein Regional Hospital Project, whether Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) funding was formally approved for or allocated to the Klipfontein Regional Hospital Project; if so, what are the relevant details;
- in the light of the significant delays in the project, what is the current status of the BFI allocation;
- whether the allocation remains fully intact; if so, what conditions, if any, now apply to retaining or accessing the allocation in the light of the delays;
- while smaller amounts appear to have been allocated for planning and preparatory work, what is the total amount of funding that has been spent on the project to date;
- although funding was reportedly allocated to the Klipfontein Regional Hospital Project as early as 2019, it appears to have only been formally reflected in the national budget in 2026: why was there a delay between the initial allocation and its appearance in the national budget;
- whether, at the time of the decommissioning of the GF Jooste Hospital, was funding already allocated or earmarked for the construction of the Klipfontein Regional Hospital; if so, (a) what amount was allocated and (b) in which financial year was this allocation made?
I am informed that:
Yes.(1)(a) The former GF Jooste Hospital site is not being used for the Metro West Regional Hospital because the project is not a direct rebuilding of GF Jooste. It forms part of broader metro health service planning aimed at strengthening the regional hospital platform for the Metro West ecosystem. The size of the Metro West Regional Hospital scope is too large for the former G.F.Jooste site.
(1)(b) Manenberg.
(2) No, the site is owned by the Western Cape Government.
(3) R4.3 billion is the estimated total cost of the project, and is not the BFI allocation.
(4) Delays were caused by the decision to build a larger, more complex regional hospital, rather than a replacement hospital. The current status is that the BFI allocation, confirmed and extracted from the 2026/27 Main Budget Allocation letter is that WCDHW has received R89,115 million in 2026/27 and will receive an additional R22,390 million in 2027/28.
(5) See above.
(6) Expenditure has related mainly to planning, preparatory, and project development work. As at the end of the previous financial year (2025/26), WCDHW has spent a total of R70,156 million on Metro West Regional Hospital.
(7) The requested information falls outside of the mandate of the WCDHW and thus should be directed to the National Treasury.
(8) No, funding was not allocated at the time for the Metro West Regional Hospital.
