The Gauteng department of infrastructure will erect a new security fence and increase the number of guards around the old Natalspruit Hospital to prevent further vandalism of the facility.
Yesterday, head of department Bethuel Netshiswinzhe said security had been beefed up at the hospital, with 30 guards on duty at any given time.
Thieves have managed to break parts of the concrete wall surrounding the hospital to sneak in.
"We want to do [the fencing] as speedily as possible. We have also asked for more deployment from the SAPS and [metro police] in the area. Having only one [police] van is not helping. These people are very forceful. They come in groups of 100 or more," he said.
The hospital was officially closed in August following the building of a new one in Vosloorus. Since then thieves have been stripping the facility of metal. A payment dispute resulted in the guards hired to protect the building going on a go-slow. Netshiswinzhe said this dispute would be settled soon.
The department is still considering how to use the abandoned hospital. There is a possibility that it could be converted into a rehabilitation or skills centre.
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