The construction of the R49 million Lusaka Clinic in Mamelodi is on track for completion by May this year.
According to the City of Tshwane, the clinic will be a flagship project for the metro and the first green facility of its kind.
MMC for Health Rina Marx undertook an oversight visit with officials from the health department to the clinic. The MMC appraised the state of progress and highlighted challenges experienced with the project.
Marx said the revised timeline for completion of the project is the end of May.
“Since September 2023, construction has been negatively impacted by contractual disputes and challenges between the main contractor and subcontractors,” she said.
Following intervention by the Health Department, she said she was pleased to report that work had resumed last week.
She further said this visit was in keeping with her commitment made in January 2024 to visit the site every two weeks to track progress and intervene where needed.
“As previously indicated, delays resulted in a revised timeline for the completion of the project, which is now the end of May 2024, this is a part of the recovery plan instituted by the Health Department for the main contractor to mitigate the risk of further delays.
“Overall, the cumulative construction progress is assessed to be at 92%.”
The clinic was designed around the green building principles, including central courtyards to bring in fresh air, and water storage and external shading to reduce heat transfer, among others.
There also will be a full dispensary and emergency room, and all auxiliary functions will be provided.
The project has created 60 temporary employment opportunities.
“Despite some delays in the project, I am satisfied that measures have been implemented to remove stumbling blocks and to ensure that the contractor fulfils the contractual obligations to complete the project within the allocated time frame and budget,” Marx said.
She added that she would like to take this opportunity to thank Mamelodi residents for their patience.
Marx said she was certain that once completed, the new Lusaka Clinic will be a welcome addition to the 24 primary health-care clinics managed by the City.
Pretoria News
Lesego Montso