ANC accuses DA of neglecting Western Cape health

Blocked oversight visits and crumbling clinic infrastructure are fueling ANC accusations that 17 years of DA rule have gutted Western Cape public healthcare.

ANC says oversight visits are getting stonewalled

• ANC MP Nobulumko Nkondlo told the Standing Committee on Health that facility visits are being delayed or blocked.
• She argued the DA administration is shielding real conditions from legislative scrutiny.
• Communities in Manenberg, Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha reportedly feel completely abandoned.
• Patients endure hours-long waits while clinics run dry on basic medication.

DA's 17-year healthcare record is under fire

• The DA has governed the Western Cape since 2009 without interruption.
• Critics say fast-growing informal settlements still lack adequate district hospitals.
• Groote Schuur and Tygerberg hospitals are buckling under mounting pressure.
• Township clinics remain overcrowded, understaffed, and prone to early closures.

Families in poor areas are bearing the brunt

• Mothers in Khayelitsha line up at 5 a.m. and wait until midday for basic treatment.
• Rural residents in the Overberg and Garden Route travel long distances for specialist care.
• Broken equipment, leaking roofs, and ambulance shortages define everyday reality.
• The province's tourism-driven wealth barely trickles down to working-class health services.

ANC is pushing hard for concrete changes

• The party wants immediate expansion of oversight visits and faster construction timelines.
• Hiring more doctors and nurses is a top-priority demand from the ANC caucus.
• National Health Insurance debates add a broader context to the provincial standoff.
• Four consecutive DA election wins make this a politically charged battleground.