Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Marieta Visser and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Ernest Putsoenyane. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Masilonyana will escalate the ongoing healthcare crisis in Brandfort to the Free State Departments of Health and Public Works and continue oversight visits to ensure that residents have access to safe and dignified healthcare services.
The prolonged closure and unsafe conditions at Marantha Clinic have left vulnerable residents without adequate medical care, directly affecting patient dignity, staff safety, and access to essential healthcare services in the community.
Marantha Clinic in Brandfort was closed by the Department of Labour on 9 February 2026 due to months of water shortages, collapsed ceilings, and other issues affecting the well-being of staff and patients.
The borehole was refurbished quickly, and water was restored.
In the meantime, the clinic had to operate from the community hall, where there was no constant water, no electricity, no cold storage for medication, no safe storage for patient files, and no privacy for patient examinations. Conditions were far worse, with only one toilet for all patients, available only when there was water to flush; ceilings were also missing, and staff had to sit by windows to get enough light to complete documentation.
Reportedly, the Department of Labour then closed the community hall due to unsafe conditions for patients and staff.
After 11 weeks, the clinic was partially reopened on 28 April 2026 because some repairs, such as a ceiling replacement, were still outstanding.
I found contractors on site, busy with ceilings, during an oversight visit, more than 13 weeks after the clinic was closed.
The Vaalrock Clinic was burned down in 2019, and since then, Marantha has had to serve the whole community. The Free State Department of Public Works promised to reconstruct Vaalrock by February 2025 (Tender DPWFS (T) 010/2024), but the site remains abandoned.
It must be very clear to the residents of Brandfort that the Department of Health and the Department of Public Works have no regard for the plight of the most vulnerable sector of this community.