Less than three years after the government spent millions to renovate the former Anglo Gold Hospital and then opened it to the public, the area around the facility is still a haven for criminals.
The Gauteng Government spent R570 million to refurbish the hospital to use during the Covid-19 pandemic, over ten times the original budget for upgrades. Although the hospital eventually opened in June 2021, it was left abandoned shortly afterwards, prompting especially metal thieves to flock there to strip the facility.
Serious crimes occurred at the hospital again last week.
At about 15:50 on Monday, 25 March, Harmony Gold security guards discovered the bodies of two unknown men near the old laboratories near the hospital.
Both men, presumed to be illegal miners, had gunshot wounds.
In another incident around noon that day, a man was shot on the premises of the abandoned hospital and reported the incident to the Wedela police. The SAPS later transferred the case to Carletonville as the old hospital fell within their jurisdiction.
The extreme overspending on the hospital’s refurbishment led to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigating it and identifying numerous irregularities.
The Special Tribunal, which also helped to uncover the corruption during the pandemic, granted the SIU an order to freeze R7.9m in the bank accounts of Pro-Serve and Thenga, the two companies involved, in 2022. The SIU had said the tender process was “flawed, unlawful and invalid” without considering Treasury regulations.
