Service Manager Jason Koopman recently visited the TC Newman Community Day Centre (CDC) in Paarl to reaffirm Minus40’s ongoing partnership with government healthcare facilities across the
broader Cape Winelands District, ensuring cold chain reliability where it matters most.
About TC Newman CDC
TC Newman CDC is one of the Western Cape Government Health’s 14 primary healthcare facilities in the Drakenstein. These facilities provide a comprehensive range of services, including acute and chronic care, maternal and child health, dental services, rehabilitation, and mental health support. TC Newman CDC caters to a diverse patient population from Paarl East and surrounding urban and rural communities.
Initially founded as a hospital in 1977, the facility was later transformed into a community day centre and named in honour of Dr. Thomas C. Newman, Paarl’s first officially qualified coloured doctor. Dr. Newman dedicated over fifty years to caring for his community, and that legacy endures with the centre. Dr. Newman passed away in 2018 at the age of 91, having seen the centre grow and adapt to the changing needs of the community.
The importance of a reliable cold chain in community settings
In the South African public health system, especially at the community level, cold chain reliability is not a luxury; it’s a life-saving, cost-efficient necessity. Centres like TC Newman CDC and connected clinics are often the first and only point of contact for essential healthcare services in both urban and rural areas.
A reliable cold chain ensures that vaccines, medications, and diagnostic materials are maintained within strict temperature ranges to remain safe and effective. Not only does a dependable cold chain enable patients with chronic conditions to manage their health, but it also allows healthcare workers to prevent severe diseases by making immunisation available, helping more people stay healthy.
But local conditions present unique challenges. Many clinics encounter ongoing load shedding, infrastructure limitations, and high patient numbers. A single cold chain failure can lead to the loss of thousands of rands’ worth of vaccines and, more critically, missed opportunities to safeguard vulnerable populations from preventable diseases.
In a country where immunisation programmes are central to public health, maintaining vaccine potency at the clinic level is vital. Whether it’s routine child immunisations, emergency outbreak responses, or HIV/TB programmes, South Africa’s cold chain infrastructure underpins the success of them all. That’s why durable, well-serviced refrigeration systems are essential in ensuring that frontline health workers can do their jobs, and communities can access the care they need, when they need it.
How Minus40 is helping
Minus40 values Quality and Service, and that’s why we stand by our solutions years later. Through a Service Level Agreement (SLA), we continue to maintain and service over 30 vaccine fridges across 14 facilities in the Cape Winelands District, including Paarl, Wellington, and Gouda. Minus40 units — some still running strong after 15 years — continue to meet our high standards and clinical requirements, demonstrating our commitment to high-quality manufacturing and service.
Our work in the Cape Winelands District is just one example of how durable equipment, proactive support, and trusted partnerships help build a healthier South Africa, one clinic at a time.
Discover how we can support your cold chain requirements in high-demand, community-facing settings.