SA Politics Thread Part 13 The Days of Madlanga

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:
Parliament has urged urgent action on 1 Military Hospital’s future, as more than R1-billion has already been spent. Weak co-ordination between departments and ongoing failures are affecting military healthcare delivery for serving members and veterans.

www.citizen.co.za

Future of 1 Military Hospital must be finalised, Parliament says

Parliament has urged urgent action on 1 Military Hospital’s future, as more than R1-billion has already been spent. Weak co-ordination between departments and ongoing failures are affecting military healthcare delivery for serving members and veterans.
www.citizen.co.za www.citizen.co.za
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that used to be a world class hospital.
the theatre complex, icu, high care and emergency dept rivalled the very best, anywhere in the word.
the hospital had the very latest medical equipment, and the very best of it.

so what happened ?
there is no blaming apartheid for this - there has been no major shift from serving a tiny portion of the population to having to serve the entire population, unlike other civilian infrastructural challenges.
the hospital only serves the military population, and the military "population" numbers have remained largely unchanged between 1980 and now.

the idea of constructing a new facility is both gormless and hare-brained.
the hospital location was very specifically chosen in order to be in close proximity to the airforce base and highway - and to be within the secure confines of a restricted military area.
voortrekkerhoogte contains multiple training units (equestrian unit, personell services corps etc etc), as well as a large residential component.
there are few hospitals in the country, both state and private, that come close to the layout of the hospital.
it has a rare & seamless flow from the helicopter landing pad / ambulance drop-off area, into emergency dept, continuing into the theatre complex and adjoining icu / high care facilities.

heads need to roll on this display of ineptitude and incompetence.

we all remember this, but now what - will netcare / mediclinic have to step in ??
A vehicle carrying the body of former South African president Nelson Mandela left Pretoria's 1 Military Hospital on Saturday.
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Last edited:
Grant said:
that used to be a world class hospital.
the theatre complex, icu, high care and emergency dept rivalled the very best, anywhere in the word.
the hospital had the very latest medical equipment, and the very best of it.

so what happened ?
there is no blaming apartheid for this - there has been no major shift from serving a tiny portion of the population to having to serve the entire population, unlike other civilian infrastructural challenges.
the hospital only serves the military population, and the military "population" numbers have remained largely unchanged between 1980 and now.

the idea of constructing a new facility is both gormless and hare-brained.
the hospital location was very specifically chosen in order to be in close proximity to the airforce base and highway - and to be within the secure confines of a restricted military area.
voortrekkerhoogte contains multiple training units (equestrian unit, personell services corps etc etc), as well as a large residential component.
there are few hospitals in the country, both state and private, that come close to the layout of the hospital.
it has a rare & seamless flow from the helicopter landing pad / ambulance drop-off area, into emergency dept, continuing into the theatre complex and adjoining icu / high care facilities.

heads need to roll on this display of ineptitude and incompetence.

we all remember this, but now what - will netcare / mediclinic have to step in ??

Click to expand...
Yes, agreed. For various reasons I visited 1 Mil many times since my 'roof' days. The past few years I had to go sort some issues there. Knowing what it was like, vs now, is just depressing. But then again I've had reason to visit many locations normal civvies don't go.

At least it looks like they're doing something about SA Army HQ.

hparchitects.co.za

SA Army HQ

SA Army Headquarters (2010 – 2013 – current) – Dequar Road Pretoria, South Africa
hparchitects.co.za hparchitects.co.za
The Transvaal State Artillery Precinct in Pretoria, South Africa, is a key military heritage site, second in significance only to the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town. Since its construction in the late 1890s, the Precinct was involved in every major conflict in South African military history.
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I had a mtg there, was waiting for a brass that was late. As I started looking out a window, I noticed a cracked window pane. It was still the antique wavy glass. The crack had started on the side near a leak in the frame, the leak left unchecked. A pressure crack. The leak had caused the paint to peel under the sill on the inside etc (kind of reminded me of Harare airport with it's collapsed ceiling, a stalactite hanging from a rusted leaking sewer pipe). Quite a few windows were like that. Wth? Even the flooring had lifted. All signs of a lack of maintenance. Sure, this can be fixed, but that will be with modern materials. A bit like refurb'ing an axe by replacing the head and the handle. At a cost which was preventable. A stitch in time.

I won't even talk about this building across the road. It made news a few yrs after 1994 when the new generals found out about it, having never known about it before. Viva. From time to time it has a "pool" at the bottom now. Not sure if the new contractors ever managed to figure out how the aircon works.

sss8.jpg

An emergency evacuation of stuff had to be done next door to the air force HQ via the tunnel. But since then, that had to be moved as well due to issues there.

defenceweb.co.za

SAAF shuts down HQ building due to ventilation problems - DefenceWeb

Due to unsafe and unhealthy working conditions caused by malfunctioning ventilation systems, the South African Air Force (SAAF) is temporarily closing its
defenceweb.co.za defenceweb.co.za

You might know Patriot str, running behind the prison as there are some medical facilities near there. It always used to be such a quaint well looked after area. Very pretty. Instead of taking the highway heading south out of Dequaria, you could head up Patriot, come out on the R101 behind the monument and then drive to 1 Mil.

Now try driving it. Play with the date settings. You need a 4x4 for some of the potholes.

So much funny stuff going on.


1 Mil has come up before.
mg.co.za

SANDF’s condemned-building mess

A 40-year-old army accommodation block housing 500 soldiers was ‘upgraded’ using residents’ recreational fund contributions. But it is dangerous: other high-risk residential flats in the area have been evacuated because of dolomite corrosion.
mg.co.za mg.co.za

... _ _ _ ...

It breaks your heart seeing how things are decaying, money is wasted needlessly. 1Mil is not the only one. 😒
 
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:
Yes, agreed. For various reasons I visited 1 Mil many times since my 'roof' days. The past few years I had to go sort some issues there. Knowing what it was like, vs now, is just depressing. But then again I've had reason to visit many locations normal civvies don't go.

At least it looks like they're doing something about SA Army HQ.

hparchitects.co.za

SA Army HQ

SA Army Headquarters (2010 – 2013 – current) – Dequar Road Pretoria, South Africa
hparchitects.co.za hparchitects.co.za

I had a mtg there, was waiting for a brass that was late. As I started looking out a window, I noticed a cracked window pane. It was still the antique wavy glass. The crack had started on the side near a leak in the frame, the leak left unchecked. A pressure crack. The leak had caused the paint to peel under the sill on the inside etc (kind of reminded me of Harare airport with it's collapsed ceiling, a stalactite hanging from a rusted leaking sewer pipe). Quite a few windows were like that. Wth? Even the flooring had lifted. All signs of a lack of maintenance. Sure, this can be fixed, but that will be with modern materials. A bit like refurb'ing an axe by replacing the head and the handle. At a cost which was preventable. A stitch in time.

I won't even talk about this building across the road. It made news a few yrs after 1994 when the new generals found out about it, having never known about it before. Viva. From time to time it has a "pool" at the bottom now. Not sure if the new contractors ever managed to figure out how the aircon works.

View attachment 1915497

An emergency evacuation of stuff had to be done next door to the air force HQ via the tunnel. But since then, that had to be moved as well due to issues there.

defenceweb.co.za

SAAF shuts down HQ building due to ventilation problems - DefenceWeb

Due to unsafe and unhealthy working conditions caused by malfunctioning ventilation systems, the South African Air Force (SAAF) is temporarily closing its
defenceweb.co.za defenceweb.co.za

You might know Patriot str, running behind the prison as there are some medical facilities near there. It always used to be such a quaint well looked after area. Very pretty. Instead of taking the highway heading south out of Dequaria, you could head up Patriot, come out on the R101 behind the monument and then drive to 1 Mil.

Now try driving it. Play with the date settings. You need a 4x4 for some of the potholes.

So much funny stuff going on.


1 Mil has come up before.
mg.co.za

SANDF’s condemned-building mess

A 40-year-old army accommodation block housing 500 soldiers was ‘upgraded’ using residents’ recreational fund contributions. But it is dangerous: other high-risk residential flats in the area have been evacuated because of dolomite corrosion.
mg.co.za mg.co.za

... _ _ _ ...

It breaks your heart seeing how things are decaying, money is wasted needlessly. 1Mil is not the only one. 😒
Click to expand...
I mentioned it somewhere in another post but I distinctly remember , as a youngster around 14-years old, the moment I realised the decay setting in within the new defence administration: Armscor. The Armscor building in Erasmuskloof was always impeccably clean and security was extremely tight. There was a distinct order within the building and it was in place even inside the canteen. Your rank and station meant something and the sense of "honor and respect" was very evident. Had a family member that worked in the Armscor building and I regularly visited the building after school or during school holidays - could only ever go to the canteen and foyer but the sense of pride was always evident!

Enter the new administration: water fountain became dirty and stopped working, guns within various display cabinets were missing and display cabinets were broken and dirty, turnstiles had chipped paint, windows were dirty, the canteen became sloppy and there was no order or respect for rank or station anymore, metal detectors weren't working most of the time, lifts were dirty, lights weren't working or flashing constantly, broken tiles in the main foyer...let's not talk about the missing Dassies/Klipspringers etc.
 
Mista_Mobsta said:
I mentioned it somewhere in another post but I distinctly remember , as a youngster around 14-years old, the moment I realised the decay setting in within the new defence administration: Armscor. The Armscor building in Erasmuskloof was always impeccably clean and security was extremely tight. There was a distinct order within the building and it was in place even inside the canteen. Your rank and station meant something and the sense of "honor and respect" was very evident. Had a family member that worked in the Armscor building and I regularly visited the building after school or during school holidays - could only ever go to the canteen and foyer but the sense of pride was always evident!

Enter the new administration: water fountain became dirty and stopped working, guns within various display cabinets were missing and display cabinets were broken and dirty, turnstiles had chipped paint, windows were dirty, the canteen became sloppy and there was no order or respect for rank or station anymore, metal detectors weren't working most of the time, lifts were dirty, lights weren't working or flashing constantly, broken tiles in the main foyer...let's not talk about the missing Dassies/Klipspringers etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know that building well. The first times I visited it was in the 80's. The past few years, I've been there from time to time again on special projects, both the DoD side and the SITA side. Some areas are bad, some better.

Btw:
 
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