Residents of Mafarafara village outside Burgersfort in Limpopo are again struggling to reach healthcare after a makeshift bridge across the Steelpoort River, also known as the Tubatse River, was washed away by heavy rains. The community-built crossing, made from corrugated iron, wooden poles, wire and metal rods, lasted less than five months.

Mafarafara has no clinic. Residents rely on Taung Clinic in Ga-Taung, about six to seven kilometres away. Using other routes to reach healthcare can cost residents up to R160 for a return trip when using public transport.

In July, Health-e News reported that Mafarafara residents had built the makeshift bridge after 27 years of asking their local municipality for a permanent crossing.

Before the makeshift bridge had been built, elderly residents, heavily pregnant women and patients who were too frail to reach Taung Clinic on foot and unable to afford public transport, had relied on a ‘sewaiwai’ — a steel cart tied to ropes on both sides of the river and pulled across by villagers. 

The sewaiwai carried up to four adults and cost R5 for a single trip. But the cart was damaged and is now out of use. Residents told Health-e News that this prompted the construction of the makeshift bridge.  Home-based carers had to make use of the same community-built crossings. 

Home-based care suspended

Following the recent collapse of the makeshift bridge, home-based carers who deliver chronic medication, monitor pregnant women and support bedridden patients told Health-e News they have temporarily suspended services in Mafarafara because they cannot cross the flooded river.

“This may result in patients not accessing healthcare at all,” says Kamogelo*, a homebased carer in Mafarafara. 

“Especially high-risk pregnant women are not being followed up, and it doesn’t risk not only the mother’s life, but also the unborn babies,” she says. Kamogelo* says family-planning and follow-up visits have also declined over the past month.

After the sewaiwai became unusable, 65-year-old resident Otho Mnisi used money from his SASSA grant towards the construction of the makeshift bridge which was built by residents in May this year. 

Mnisi told Health-e News at the time that residents contributed R5 per crossing while local helpers would assist them with their belongings and help them across. Mnisi says residents plan to rebuild the makeshift bridge after it was washed away, but fear another collapse.

“Chances of survival are low. We need proper building materials for long-lasting structures,” Mnisi says.

Residents told Health-e News in July that several people had drowned in the past while crossing the river with the ‘sewaiwai’, including a man who was returning from Taung Clinic eight years ago after collecting high blood pressure medication.

Municipality considers mobile health services

Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality representatives say Mayor Eddie Maila has approached Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba and the provincial health department about possible interventions, including mobile health services.

Municipal spokesperson Freddy Mokoena says building the permanent bridge needed at the crossing would require intervention beyond the municipality. Mokoena says residents are not completely cut off because the municipality built another access bridge about a kilometre from the affected crossing in 2018 and residents can also use the main road network.

But residents say these alternatives are too far for sick and elderly people trying to reach healthcare.

Community member Melvin Serola says residents want to rebuild the crossing themselves. “We waited more than 27 years for a clinic. At this point we doubt the bridge will be built any time soon,” he says.

“We want to build our own bridge, we just lack material.”

*Not her real name.