Ekurhuleni – Tembisa Hospital has been struck by a second fire in less than a week, further disrupting healthcare services and prompting authorities to investigate potential arson. The latest incident occurred this morning, April 23, at the facility's main outpatient department, which is adjacent to the accident and emergency unit that was gutted by a fire on Saturday night, April 19.
Emergency crews are currently attending to the blaze, and people have been urged to steer clear of the area while firefighters from the City of Ekurhuleni work to contain the flames.
Health department spokesperson, Motalatale Modiba, confirmed the incident, stating: "Another incident at the hospital's main outpatient department, this area is adjacent to the accident and emergency unit, which burnt on Saturday night."
The alert about the fire was issued at 7am on Wednesday.
"More details will be shared later as the matter is being investigated," said health department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.
At this stage, details surrounding the cause or extent of the latest incident remain unclear. However, sources indicate that patients are currently not being allowed access to the facility, and some have reportedly begun queuing outside Zamokuhle Private Hospital nearby in search of medical assistance.
The Gauteng health department says firefighters from the City of Ekurhuleni are attending to a fire at the Tembisa provincial tertiary hospital’s main outpatient facility.
Hospital Already Strained After Previous Fire
This latest fire comes as recovery operations are ongoing at the hospital following the initial fire that broke out in the Accident and Emergency Unit on Saturday afternoon. That blaze led to the safe evacuation of 81 patients and the temporary closure of the unit.
Head of Department, Lesiba Malotana gave an update on the incident which affected the parts of the accident and emergency unit of the hospital, saying the Gauteng health department has put in place contingency plans to ensure emergency services continue to be available to the community during the unit’s closure.
Malotana also reassured the public that the rest of the hospital remained fully operational while all the patients have been accounted for.
"All other areas of the hospital remain functional and operational. Those who have family members in the hospital must rest assured that their family members are not in any danger and have been taken care of."
Ekurhuleni Mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza commended the rescue teams while indicating that the situation remains promising as there were no casualties reported, adding that at least 85 individuals — 79 patients and six staff were evacuated to nearby healthcare facilities.
“So far, everything is looking good. We have set up a joint operation center with all our disaster management teams and Gauteng teams. What we can confirm is that the fire has been extinguished and everything is under control; there are no casualties. There’s nobody who’s injured as a result of the fire. The only section that was affected is the emergency section, but all the patients that were there are all accounted for, and we will get updates.
Arson Investigation Launched
Given the suspicious nature of the two fires occurring in quick succession, the Gauteng government has asked the State Security Agency to investigate if the initial fire was the result of arson.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said he has asked the agency to probe whether “there was no foul play” that caused the fire.
“There have been lots of wrong things happening, so we just have to make sure that there is no human element to it, because if you don’t do it, it can then expand to other hospitals. Police, state security and the fire and forensic unit are investigating the matter,” Lesufi said.
Lesufi said he decided to authorise an investigation into Tembisa Hospital because “from the experience of Charlotte Maxeke, it is very important not to leave anything to chance”.
He said he has requested a report from the hospital, and was keen to hear from the people who were working in the casualty section when the fire broke out. “I have asked the team to give me a full report tomorrow,” Lesufi said yesterday.
The Gauteng government has asked the State Security Agency to investigate if the fire that ravaged the accident and emergency section of the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital was the result of arson.
"Chaotic" Conditions and Frustrated Staff
The initial fire, which broke out on Saturday in the casualty unit where 81 patients were being treated, has already disrupted services at the hospital, leaving patients and nurses frustrated.
An employee who spoke to Sowetan on condition of anonymity described the situation as “chaotic”.
She said staff returned to a “messy place” yesterday, where they found themselves having to redirect patients to a new makeshift casualty department that only had two working computers after 10 others were destroyed in the fire.
“It was very chaotic today. Patients did not know where to go, including the staff themselves,” the employee said.
“Staff were sent around to try to direct the patients where to go.”
Reflecting on the chaos, the employee said she was not sure what to expect when she went to work as they were unable to locate patients’ files as only two computers were working in the makeshift casualty ward.
Another employee, a nurse, said staff had to deal with frustrated patients who were confused at being sent from one part of the hospital to another as departments had moved as a result of the fire.
“I don’t want to lie; we cannot work efficiently like we used to. To be honest, it’s frustrating.
“Psychologically and emotionally, we’re not OK,” she said. “We have a shortage of staff, so nurses were burnt out anyway. Our psychological and emotional states were questionable already because of the shortage of staff. And the fire was traumatic as well.”
Both the employees Sowetan spoke to were on duty in the casualty section on the day of the fire, but have no idea what caused it. However, when they saw the smoke and flames, they quickly moved the patients and their beds to safety.
History of Irregularities and Neglect
The fires at Tembisa Hospital have raised concerns about the safety and maintenance of healthcare facilities in Gauteng.
In August 2021, Babita Deokaran, a senior finance official for the Gauteng health department, was shot and killed after flagging irregularities relating to suppliers and service providers that were conducting business with Tembisa Hospital, resulting in expenditure of about R850m.
In 2021, a fire ravaged parts of Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, and again in 2022, another fire broke out at an unused parking area at the hospital.
The Gauteng secretary of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, Bongani Mazibuko, wondered whether the health department had not learnt any lessons from Charlotte Maxeke, “especially taking into consideration the fact that the accident and emergency unit [at Tembisa Hospital] was recently renovated”.
“We don’t want to speculate, but we are wondering how the fire could have spread so rapidly to the point of destroying the whole accident and emergency unit,” Mazibuko said.
The Public Servants Association said the hospital has been on the brink of collapse for months, with internal reports highlighting cracked walls, broken taps, exposed live wires, and serious fire hazards, especially in high-risk areas such as the casualty department.
Follow Us on Twitter
