“Swartruggens Deserves a Hospital – Not Empty Promises”

Swartruggens – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Kgetlengrivier is calling on the North West Department of Health to urgently upgrade the Swartruggens Health Care Centre to full hospital status, saying the community cannot wait any longer for dignified, accessible health care.

According to DA councillor Mduduzi Maphanga, on 16 September 2025, the petition — submitted via MPL Hendriëtte van Huysteen — has already been tabled before the Kgetlengrivier Council, with calls for all political parties to join hands in lobbying the provincial Health Portfolio Committee. The upgrade, Maphanga explained, would require only a few additional beds and staff, allowing the centre to fully utilise its existing facilities and deliver hospital-level services right in Swartruggens.

A system under strain

The recent closure of Borolelo Clinic, along with those in Phela and Tlokweng, has left residents with fewer options for primary health care. The Swartruggens Health Care Centre has since carried the load, but its limited status means patients are too often referred to Job Shimankana Tabane (JST) Provincial Hospital in Rustenburg — not because of staff incompetence, but because of legal restrictions.

“This is unfair to patients,” Maphanga stressed. “People should not have to travel far for treatment that can and should be offered locally.”