PLANS UNDERWAY TO REOPEN TEMBISA OLD AGE HOME

By Teddy Gomba.

•  ⁠The Gauteng Department of Social Development is preparing to reopen the Tembisa Old Age Home after resolving rezoning and structural challenges.
• ⁠The facility will initially accommodate 20 residents, with staff recruitment and community consultations currently underway.
• ⁠The Department will assume full management of the facility as a state institution after the current financial year.

The Gauteng Department of Social Development has confirmed progress in reopening the Tembisa Old Age Home, following an oversight visit by the Gauteng Portfolio Committee on Social Development.
During the briefing, the Department announced that the Kempton Park Protective Workshop has been appointed to manage the facility until the end of the financial year, after which the Department will operate it directly as a state-run institution.

The R30 million residential care facility, first opened in 2013, was closed in 2019 due to rezoning complications and structural defects, including sagging window lintels. The municipality, which implemented the project, has since resolved the zoning issues and issued an occupation certificate.

Recruitment processes are currently underway, with interviews for the Centre Manager completed. Interviews for Social and Auxiliary Workers, Professional and Auxiliary Nurses, and Care Workers are scheduled to take place next week. Initially, the facility will admit 20 screened residents instead of the full capacity of 59. Furniture has already been procured to prepare the home for occupation.
To ensure transparency and build trust, the Department has planned several engagements with the Tembisa community to brief them on the reopening process.