A pledge to deliver essential healthcare services to the residents of Kabe Village, outside Mahikeng, remains unfulfilled, forcing the community to endure significant hardship and risk. A promised Park-Home Clinic, a pre-fabricated mobile healthcare facility, has failed to materialize more than a year after commitments were made by the North West Health Department.
The situation leaves villagers with no choice but to travel approximately 10 to 12 kilometers to the nearest clinic in Disaneng, a journey that is both costly and dangerous, particularly in medical emergencies.
Community members describe a desperate reality. One resident highlighted the perils faced by pregnant women, stating, “We struggle when we have pregnant women. We really struggle… to the extent that we have to help them deliver their babies. Only for the following day, we would arrange for them to be taken to a clinic in Disaneng in a donkey cart.”
The financial burden of transportation is crippling for many in the unemployment-stricken area. Another villager explained, “Due to unemployment, I had no money for transport… Our children are sick and sometimes have episodes in the middle of the night.”
The local tribal authority has expressed deep frustration, calling the project “long overdue.” A representative illustrated the crisis with a heartbreaking account: “It cost about R350 to transport by day and by night is R700 just to go to Disaneng… Last night I received a call that broke my heart. A lady called me asking me to take her child to the clinic. I could not help because I couldn’t find my donkeys at night.”
In response to the delays, a spokesperson for the Provincial Health Department has revealed that the project has been sent back to the drawing board. The spokesperson cited a need to “replan the project,” which involves changing plans and foundations and awaiting new materials.
This reset means the project must start from scratch. The spokesperson provided a new timeline, estimating that construction of the Park-Home clinic takes four to six months. “So we are expecting that… around March, April… if we experience no delays,” the spokesperson said, adding that the project is now expected to be completed “sometime next year around March.”
This new deadline offers little solace to the residents of Kabe Village, who continue to face a 12-kilometer journey for basic medical care, their health dependent on the availability of a donkey cart and the funds for a taxi ride.