Motherwell could soon be home to Nelson Mandela Bay’s next private hospital.
This is if the council agrees to sell vacant land at the corner of Dibanisa and Nzunga roads to retired doctor Kagiso Mokgatle.
Mokgatle’s application was nearly rejected last week after ANC councillors in the human settlements committee argued that a private hospital is not what people in the area need.
Mokgatle is the chief executive of Marang Global Capital and is believed to be the only person in the Eastern Cape who holds a licence to build a hospital in the area.
Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.
Director for land use management Mthulisi Msimanga said other applications to develop the land had previously been rejected as they were not in line with the local spatial development framework.
Msimanga said last Tuesday that the application to build a hospital was in line with the area’s development plan.
Plans previously rejected included the building of a kraal, and a brick-making business.
On Tuesday, the municipality finally approved a plan to build a private hospital on the five hectares of land.
The application is set to proceed to the mayoral committee before it goes to the council for approval.
The decision to approve the application was later unanimous; however, ANC councillors insisted that Motherwell residents need to be consulted.
ANC councillor Mvuzo Mbelekane asked that the application be delayed until residents could be consulted.
“The way we dispose of land in this city is worrying,” Mbelekane said.
“We have a situation in Motherwell where hundreds of people are landless and now we want to dispose of land for a private hospital.”
Mbelekane argued that most Motherwell residents would not be able to afford treatment at a private hospital.
Msimanga, however, warned that if the committee delayed the application Mokgatle could lose his licence to build a hospital.
ANC councillor Queenie Pink was also concerned that Motherwell residents had not been given the opportunity to comment on the matter.
Pink said a hospital that would not be used by people in the area would not be ideal.
“We know there are middleclass people living there but the majority of the people are poor. Let us not take decisions for the people,” Pink said.
Human settlements executive director Nolwandle Gqiba said residents would be given an opportunity to object when the municipality advertised the plan in local media.
“We have to ensure that developments coming to the city will benefit the entire city,” Gqiba said.
“Motherwell is one of the nodes because of Coega and the size of that township.
“It remains a critical point of development for the entire metro as we develop the growth and city development strategy.”
Gqiba said the vision was to ensure there were economic spin-offs from the hospital.
“We hope that when people are referred to a specialist in Motherwell they spend money in Motherwell.”
DA councillor Duncan Monks said: “At the end of the day this is a hospital that we are bringing to the township side of the city, even if it is a private hospital.
“Yes, we would prefer a government hospital that everyone can afford. But right now we don’t have that option.”