‘Something is amiss’ – Blazes at Charlotte Maxeke, Baragwanath and Christiana Town clinic raise suspicion

A year after parts of it were gutted by fire, the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital was the scene of another fire.

It came hard on the heels of fires at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital last month and Christiana Town Clinic in North West on Monday. The causes of the fires at all three facilities remain unclear.

The Gauteng department of health head of communications Motalatale Modiba confirmed a smouldering fire on the unused level two of the parking lot at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital was brought under control. The hospital was still under refurbishment after being damaged by an inferno last year.

However, Democratic Alliance shadow health MEC Jack Bloom questioned the incident. He said the department of health had spent about R40 million on security at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital and the fire should have been prevented. Bloom said it was important to look at the possibility of arson or sabotage.

“The public still does not know what caused the fire last year because there were no reports supplied,” he said. Bloom said it was “disgraceful” and there needed to be accountability.

“They need to do speedy investigations and accountability because we still do not know the cause of the [first] fire,” he said. “And now we have another fire which could have been worse and there have been other fires this year, so what is exactly going on?”

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The blaze at Baragwanath Hospital started in the open space near the Covid tents. It was understood, due to strong winds, the fire spread to the laundry site and damaged linen awaiting condemnation. Bloom said all three fires this year had been speedily put out and the damage could have been far worse.

The Gauteng Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) trade union’s provincial secretary Bongani Mazibuko said the department of health was not compliant in terms of occupational health and safety. There was something “amiss” and hospitals were not safe for nurses or patients.

“The fact that the [Charlotte Maxeke] hospital is still under repairs and there is another fire is great concern,” he said.

“It is very concerning for us as Denosa and we would like an indepth explanation to the cause of the fire and how it can be prevented in moving forward.”

In regard to the working conditions for nurses at hospitals, Mazibuko said if one worked in a place and was not sure about its state and safety, then it did not contribute to a conducive working environment.

“If all the time, you are looking over your shoulder or over hazards while working, it means you are not totally focused on your work,” he said.

“Our work as nurses is life-anddeath issues. To be distracted when having to look out for issues of safety in the building can lead to mistakes.

“We want people to be safe and comfortable in their working environments, to not worry about disturbances or any fear of any incidences happening.”

Modiba said the department of health was waiting on law enforcement agencies to report on the current investigations. He said they were trying to figure out the motive and cause of the fires.

“At the moment, we are still waiting and we are in the same space as the public in terms of wanting to know how far the process is,” he said. “We would like this matter to be handled speedily because it has been over a year with the first fire and now, we have this incident.”

Modiba said the situation was worrying and suspicious, but anyone found guilty would be brought to book.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello said, at this stage, the police could not confirm how the fire had started, pending the official forensic report.

North West health MEC Madoda Sambatha yesterday said a team of managers had been sent to assess the damage caused by the fire at Christiana Town Clinic. The incident took place on Monday evening.

“The sad incident occurs at a time when we are in the process of finalising procurement of Parkhomes, which are to serve as a temporary structure until the hospital is rebuilt,” he said.

Sambatha said the clinic’s management team had reported the extent of the damage caused by the fire was such that the facility would not be operational any time soon.

“The first immediate intervention is to avail a mobile clinic, which will be stationed next to where the burnt clinic was,” he said.

“The mobile clinic will be stationed there until the health services are restored.”

– lungas@citizen.co.za