Decommissioning of the satellite Weltevreden Valley Clinic site hosted at the Colorado Community Hall is underway with the hall expected to be returned for community use from next month.
The City of Cape Town took the decision to move the Weltevreden Clinic from its original site in Samora Machel in April last year after a fatal attack on staff.
Employees were attacked while repairing the sewage pipe at Helen Joseph Street.
One employee was killed in the attack, prompting the City to shut down its operations including the clinic, to protect their employees.
“Security of staff was an issue, as was sewer blockages and badly damaged roads en route to the facility,” says Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross.
“The (Colorado) hall was the best option (to host the clinic).”
Residents have continued to express their dissatisfaction with the lack of use of the hall, especially since regulations were eased for gatherings last year.
“Public participation was not required. Due to the pandemic we had to follow the regulations that were promulgated at the time. Our priority was patient safety. We had to commission the use of the hall as an overflow facility so that we could safely offer routine services as well as testing and treating persons with covid,” says Van der Ross.
The clinic would see an average of 5 400 clients per month.
Ward 75 councillor, Joan Woodman confirms the facility was used for community meetings and events, fitness clubs, sports clubs, a feeding scheme, seniors group meetings and an aftercare prior to the hall being converted to the clinic site.
“The Colorado Community Hall is the only facility where meetings/functions and indoor events could be held. Getting the facility back was a joint effort by the Community, The Ratepayers, our Subcouncil Chair ward 43 councillor Elton Jansen and myself that kept continuous tabs on the officials to speed up the re-location of the Weltevreden Clinic back to Samora Machel,” says Woodman.
“Covid-19 was a national disaster, there was no public participation to implement or to convert Colorado Hall into an overflow Clinic to accommodate the people with symptoms for Covid tests.
“When Colorado Hall was identified as one of the overflow clinics, members of the Colorado Ratepayers’ was present when the plan was relayed to us. Colorado Hall was not the only facility that was utilized as an overflow clinic, there was many other facilities that was converted.”
People’s Post contacted various community organisations for comment.
The Colorado Resident and Ratepayers’ Association who are said to have been active in advocating for the return of the facility did not comment by the time of going to print.
The facility will be available for public use from Friday 1 July.
“The site is being decommissioned and this means that the structural changes that were made to the hall in order to make it suitable for the provision of healthcare services, will be removed and the hall will be handed back to the recreation and parks department,” says Van der Ross.
Woodman adds: “On visiting the facility on Friday 17 June, I am happy to report that all cubicles inside the facility has been removed. We want the facility to be handed back in the same condition as it was handed over to Health Department. We are looking forward to have the facility buzzing with kids, seniors, keep fit classes, functions and events as we have known it to be.”
