Photos shared with OFM News show elderly residents, women and children waiting in the cold to receive medical attention after the closure of the area's two clinics. Masilo Clinic was closed last month by the department of employment and labour over health and safety concerns linked to ongoing water and sanitation failures. 

The department said both patients and healthcare workers faced the risk of contracting communicable diseases because of poor hygiene conditions caused by the lack of a reliable water supply.

Patients standing in cold weather for healthcare services after closure of only two clinics in Theunissen. Photo supplied 

According to the department, the absence of water could result in the transmission of infectious diseases through contamination. It said the closure directive would only be lifted once adequate measures had been implemented to eliminate or substantially reduce the health risks that prompted the prohibition. 

The Free State department of health had acknowledged the inconvenience and apologised to patients, staff and the broader community. Provincial health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi previously said preliminary technical assessments pointed to water-pressure failure within the clinic.

“While municipal water reaches the premises and a water tanker is on site, the internal pressure is too low to ensure reliable handwashing, cleaning, and other infection prevention and control measures required for safe care. Operating under these conditions would be non-compliant with health and labour standards.”

Mvambi had said technical teams from the department of health were working with the municipality and relevant authorities, attempting to restore adequate water pressure and ensure the facility could safely reopen. 

To ensure residents continue receiving healthcare services, the department relocated operations to a nearby community hall with the support of two mobile health teams. 

Mvambi said the temporary arrangements would provide essential healthcare services, including chronic medication refills, immunisations, maternal and child healthcare, family planning and the treatment of minor ailments.

Patients standing in freezing weather for healthcare services. Photo supplied 

The latest closure comes after previous reports highlighted the deteriorating conditions at the clinic. Pregnant women were previously forced to leave Masilo Clinic to fetch water from a distant public tap. 

SABC News previously spoke to two pregnant women carrying buckets after attempting to collect water from a nearby tap. The women said they were left disappointed when no water was available and claimed they often had to move from one location to another in search of water.

Residents have repeatedly raised concerns over conditions at Masilo Clinic, which has reportedly been without a reliable water supply for more than a decade. Situated within the Masilonyana municipality, the facility is said to have endured a 12-year water crisis, forcing both patients and healthcare workers to operate under increasingly difficult and unsanitary conditions.

Resident Thato Sethoba, 39, previously told OFM News the clinic’s toilets had remained locked for years because there was no running water, despite renovations having been completed at the facility. 

Sethoba also described severe staffing shortages, saying the clinic had only two permanent employees, a matron and a nurse. Several nurses had reportedly been employed on short-term contracts, many of which have since expired, further worsening the staffing crisis.

The closure of Masilo Clinic follows the earlier shutdown of Lusaka Clinic in Theunissen, which was also closed because of health hazards affecting patients and healthcare workers. Services and staff from Lusaka Clinic had previously been relocated to Masilo Clinic despite its own longstanding water challenges. 

At the time, the Free State department of health said it was working with Masilonyana Municipality, local businesses and the department of public works and Infrastructure to ensure healthcare services continued.

Criticism

However, Masilonyana municipality continues to face mounting criticism over persistent water supply failures. Residents have linked the crisis to repeated vandalism of water infrastructure, while some have alleged the vandalism is orchestrated by individuals seeking to benefit from municipal contracts for water tanker services during prolonged outages.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi

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