PRETORIA, South Africa- The Gauteng Health Dept has dismissed claims of disorder at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria following a temporary power outage over the weekend.
Media reports earlier in the week suggested that critically ill patients were transferred to nearby health facilities due to what was described as a chaotic response to the outage. However, officials have clarified that the shutdown was planned as part of an electrical upgrade.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Gauteng Health Dept said that meetings were held well in advance to prepare for the temporary power interruption. The department emphasised that the outage was necessary to upgrade the hospital’s power changeover systems.
Steve Biko Academic Hospital CEO Lehlohonolo Majake-Mogoba confirmed that the outage was scheduled. “This weekend of the 27th of September, Steve Biko Academic Hospital underwent upgrades to its power supply changeover system. The work affected two levels of the hospital, including the emergency unit and several critical care areas,” she said.
Majake-Mogoba added that the operation was carefully managed. “It was a well-planned exercise involving hospital management to ensure compliance with occupational health and safety regulations and to maintain service delivery,” she explained.
The Gauteng Health Dept further stated that contingency measures were in place throughout the shutdown. Emergency power systems were activated to support critical care units, and no patients were left without essential medical services.
Officials urged the public and media to verify information before circulating claims that could cause unnecessary alarm. The department reiterated that planned infrastructure upgrades are crucial to maintaining reliable power supply at major hospitals.
The hospital is expected to continue with further upgrades in the coming months to improve service resilience and prevent unplanned outages.
