Ilembe finally set to get government psychiatric facility after years of waiting

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07-09-2026
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Mail & Guardiam
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Ilembe, home to more than 800 000 people, has no government-owned psychiatric facility, forcing patients requiring specialised care to be transferred more than 150km away. A new R148 million facility is now planned for the district

Ilembe, one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most populous health districts, has no government-owned psychiatric facility, forcing patients requiring specialised mental healthcare to be transferred to facilities elsewhere in the province.

Over the years, General Gizenga Mpanza Regional Hospital, formerly known as Stanger Hospital, on the North Coast has treated high numbers of mental health patients. In some cases, psychiatric patients have had to be accommodated alongside patients being treated for other conditions while they await transfers to specialised facilities.

The nearest government psychiatric facility is Fort Napier in Pietermaritzburg, more than 150km away.

The situation has raised concerns about the safety of patients and healthcare workers, with incidents of violence involving psychiatric patients putting other patients and nurses at risk of serious injury. 

After years of calls from the surrounding community, the provincial department of public works and infrastructure has begun work towards the construction of the first government-owned mental health facility for the district. 

The project has been in the planning phase for “quite a long time”, said Martin Meyer, the MEC for Public Works and Infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal.

“The contractors will be on the ground and within two years, we will have a psychiatric facility for the Ilembe community. 

“Mental health is often minimised as a secondary concern, which leaves many struggling without the support they need. This is the beginning of our mission as public works to change this narrative and we hope to roll out more facilities throughout the province,” Meyer said. 

The R148 million project is expected to be completed within two years. It will also serve as a training site for various categories of mental healthcare professionals. 

Dolly Govender, the former KwaDukuza mayor and now a councillor, said the district was seeing growing numbers of people requiring mental healthcare services. She attributed some of the mental health challenges to a difficult job market and financial pressures on households.

“The psychiatric facility is long overdue,” Govender said. “We’re one of the districts with high numbers of people suffering from mental problems. When I was a board member at the hospital, we raised this for years — that we need a psychiatric facility. It will be the only one we have on the North Coast serving scores of people.” 

The Ilembe district comprises four municipalities: Mandeni, KwaDukuza, Maphumulo and Ndwedwe. It has a population of just over 800 000 and includes the affluent coastal town of Ballito.