Hundreds of people from Gugulethu and neighbouring areas held a march on Wednesday 21 June to a local community healthcare centre to hand over a memorandum with their grievances.
Their grievances included poor services and a shortage of staff. They also demanded the construction of a local district hospital.
The march started at the corners of NY3A and NY1, moved along NY1, into NY3 and to the Gugulethu CHC, popularly known as KTC Day Hospital.
The protest was organised by Movement for Change and Social Justice (MCSJ). They were joined by several organisations, including the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), Gugulethu Development Forum (GDF) and Vukuhambe Disabled Centre.
Patti Olckers, director for the Mitchell’s Plain/ Klipfontein district, received the memorandum. She vowed to pass it to her superiors including Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness Nomafrench Mbombo.
Speaking on behalf of MCSJ, Mandisa Xhala described the march as an eye-opener for many people.
She said they wanted the provincial government to improve the services in the centre. She stated the centre was too small to service the whole community.
“The KTC Day Clinic was established in 1965, and the population was too small. Now the population is more than necessary and that has an impact on staff. The staff members cannot cope. They cannot assist everyone that comes here. Some people have to turn back unattended and come on the following day,” she said.
Xhala stressed that the clinic also accommodated people from Nyanga, Philippi and Crossroads. She stated they wanted the government to build the Gugulethu district hospital in Gugulethu or Klipfontein.
She said there were many open spaces within Gugulethu for the construction of such a facility.
TAC chair Zackie Achmat blamed poverty and inequality for some of the problems. He claimed sums of money, which could assist the poor communities, were misappropriated by government officials.
“The most important thing is to know our fundamental rights. We are not too poor to know that we have a right to live. We are not too poor to know our rights. People of Gugulethu need to go to the national parliament to raise their concerns,” said Achmat.
He urged elders and people with disabilities to stand up for their rights.
GDF secretary Vincent Domingo said they fully supported the construction of the district hospital. He said such a facility would not only help Gugulethu residents but the neighbouring areas as well.
Domingo appealed to the government to listen and address the resident’s concerns. He also asked for the deployment of officers at the clinic.
“Recently, there was a robbery at the clinic where the culprits robbed the staff members. We are appealing to the government to provide a mobile police station at the clinic to monitor that area,” appealed Domingo.
The residents gave authorities 14 working days to respond.
