The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the Free State has called on the provincial government to explain why Fezi Ngubentombi Hospital in Sasolburg was left without electricity for a full day, a situation the party said disrupted healthcare delivery.
Political pressure for accountability
The party wants Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi to account for the blackout and for the province to show how hospitals will be protected from similar incidents. The EFF’s provincial secretary, Bosanku Msimanga, described the outage as troubling and warned that the state of public healthcare in the Free State is deteriorating.
“This needs immediate attention and the way things are this should be happening almost everywhere in the province of Free State. The state of public health in Free State is deteriorating and we are behaving as if it’s business as usual. If value of all values is human life obviously we should be taking public health as our major priority and mobilise resources for public health.” — Bosanku Msimanga, EFF provincial secretary
The EFF statement did not provide a detailed timeline of the outage or say whether any patients required emergency transfers. It did say the blackout occurred on Saturday and that the whole hospital went dark for the day, disrupting the delivery of healthcare services.
What is known and what remains unclear
Confirmed details from the EFF are limited to the hospital name and the duration of the outage. The provincial health department has not been quoted in the party’s statement, and there is no immediate public explanation in the EFF release for whether the power cut was due to Eskom load-shedding, a local electrical fault, fuel or mechanical problems with on-site generators, or another cause.
What is certain from the EFF’s account:
- Facility affected: Fezi Ngubentombi Hospital, Sasolburg
- Reported duration: an entire day (Saturday)
- Call to action: EFF demands Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi to account
Potential implications for patients and services
Hospitals rely on consistent power for lighting, critical life-support equipment, diagnostics such as X-rays and laboratory services, refrigeration of medicines, and electronic records. A prolonged outage can force facilities to curtail elective procedures, rely on backup generators or transfer critical patients to other hospitals. The EFF’s release framed the incident as symptomatic of wider problems in public health governance in the province.
The party’s reaction underscores political sensitivity around the reliability of healthcare infrastructure. Similar incidents in other provinces have prompted emergency responses, investigations and temporary reallocation of resources; whether the Free State health department will initiate such measures has not been disclosed in the EFF statement.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hospital | Fezi Ngubentombi Hospital |
| Location | Sasolburg, Free State |
| Reported problem | Hospital without electricity for a full day |
| Political response | EFF demands that Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi account |
Next steps and what to watch for
The situation requires further information from the Free State health department and hospital management about the cause of the outage, whether backup power systems operated, and what contingency measures were taken for patients. Interested readers should look for:
- Any official statement from the Free State Department of Health or hospital management addressing the cause of the outage and its effects on patient care.
- Details on whether emergency transfers or cancellations of services occurred.
- Information on remedial actions and plans to prevent recurrence, including the status of generators and maintenance schedules.
The EFF’s public challenge places pressure on provincial authorities to provide clarity. For now, residents who rely on the municipal hospital system in Sasolburg and surrounding areas will be watching for official answers and any indications that service delivery will be strengthened to protect patient safety in future power failures.
Reporting by the EFF formed the basis of this story. Further updates will depend on responses from the Free State health department and hospital representatives.
