As part of Mandela Moth commemorations, Eastern Cape MEC for Public Works, Infrastructure and Human Settlements, Siphokazi Lusithi, visited Mjanyana village on Tuesday 22 June 2025, to hand over revamped Mjanyana hospital blocks to Mjanyana community.
MEC Lusithi was joined by AB Xuma Mayor Councillor Siyabulela Zangqa and members of his executive council and a delegation from the Chief Pokwana Royal House as led by Chief Jongisilo Pokwana.
The visit marked the official handover of the refurbished administration block, upgrades of which were carried out by an in-house DPWI Expanded Public Works officers who are under the Accelerated Professional Development Programme (APTCoD).
This follows a complaint the Department received from Chief Pokwana Royal House in May 2024 where he raised concerns about the poor state of the Hospital buildings, especially the administration block and dinning hall.
In response, the Department did a conditional assessment of the dinning hall and the administration block and it was agreed that the scope of work would include painting of all the doors, ceiling and walls inside and outside; fixing of leaking roofs, broken doors, facial boards and leaking ablution facilitates, to mention but a few.
Addressing Mjanyana community members MEC Lusithi enphasized the broader impact of the project, saying “this initiative was not just about renovating the Hospital.
“ It was also about equiping young people with valuable skills through their involvement in this project. Moreover, this project demonstrates how different arms of the governmnet can collaborate effectively to bring positive change to communities,”.
The MEC also higlighted that through programmes such as APTCoD and EPWP, the Department is addressing both infrastructure needs and youth unemployment by providing practical training and experience in their areas of trade.
“This event, in the spitirit of Tata Mandela uDlomo, not only celebrated the physical transformation of the hospital’s facilitites but also served as a symbol of unity, dvelopment and governmnet responsiveness to community needs,” added MEC Lusithi.
