Gauteng · frail care · compiled 14 Aug 2026 · psychiatric-support check 6 Oct 2026
This is a calling tool, not a directory. Almost no South African care home publishes what it costs, so the work is on the phone — and the only way to compare is to ask every home the same questions. Each card carries its source, and a call sheet that saves your answers on this device.
Every residential facility for older persons in South Africa must be registered with the Department of Social Development under the Older Persons Act 13 of 2006. It is the one check that costs nothing and rules out the worst outcomes.
“May I see your Older Persons Act registration certificate?” — if they cannot produce it, walk away.
In June 2026 the Gauteng Department of Social Development recommended the closure of Motse o Moholo in Doornkop, Soweto, after a compliance visit substantiated complaints of untrained caregivers, expired food, denied medical care and no qualified nursing staff. A month later it was still operating. Registration is necessary, not sufficient — visit unannounced too.
Why this check exists: on 6 October 2026 a dementia-focused retirement village declined an applicant because it was not equipped to provide the specialised psychiatric support and continuous clinical supervision
the reports suggested. Any home that reads the same reports may say the same, so every home's own website was checked for what it says about psychiatric care.
Of the original 50 homes, only one says it caters for mental care needs: Glenhaven Care in Garsfontein, Pretoria (We cater for those either in need of physical, mental and respite care.
). 20 say only that they care for dementia, which is the profile behind the refusal. Apart from the village that declined, none says outright that it excludes psychiatric residents. 13 say nothing either way, and 15 have no usable website; those can only be checked by phone.
18 psychiatric facilities were added, nine of them from CareMap's Gauteng psychiatric list. Most turn out not to fit an older person. Several have age limits between 45 and 60, some are acute hospitals, and one is a short-term programme. Each one says why on its card.
The two real psychogeriatric options: Thandanani Centre in Florida, Roodepoort (We also offer specialised psychogeriatric care for semi independent older adults with complex mental health needs
) and Bly-Moedig in Kameeldrift East, Pretoria (Bly-Moedig is a Psycho-Geriatric Clinic
). Neither publishes a fee.
Use the Psychiatric support chip, or sort by Psychiatric support first. Every card shows the home's own words, verbatim, with the page they came from. A status describes what the home says about itself, not what it will actually accept. Phone to confirm.
None of the 50 homes on this register has an abuse finding, a closure order, a regulatory sanction or an adverse news report. Checked on 14 August 2026 across news archives, Google reviews, each operator's own Facebook page, Facebook post search, and the Alberton What's Happening community group.
Take that as weak reassurance, not a clean bill of health. Most of these places have never been written about at all — so silence means nobody looked, not that nothing happened. Only 6 of the 50 were reviewed in depth; the rest say so on their card.
Two homes carry a review worth raising with them directly. Both are quoted on their own card, verbatim. They are allegations by reviewers — not findings of fact, and not proven:
Strongest positive signal by a distance: Witfield Park, 4.3 across 144 reviews — the only sample here large enough to carry weight. The rest rest on 11–28 reviews, which is a hint and nothing more.
Published ranges to check any number against. None of these is a quote — they are the market, so you can tell a fair price from an optimistic one.
Four things that change the real cost, none of which appear on a rate card.
Ons Tuis charges R13 486 for a double but R16 901 for single occupancy of that same room. If a shared room is unsuitable — for privacy, mood, or a resident who believes she is being watched — budget the single-room rate from the start.
Ons Tuis charges R500 assessment plus R2 500 administration, non-refundable. Medifrail charges R6 000. Rental-style units add a 75% deposit. Ask before you fall in love with a place.
Needs move one way. If the home cannot escalate to full frail care, you will move her twice — and a second move is harder on her than the first. Ask whether a frail-care bed is guaranteed, not just available.
A resident posting in the Alberton What's Happening community group, asking for “frail care facilities in or around Alberton that are not ridiculously priced,” reported: “Just called a place that charges over R20,000 a month.” Several others in the same group are asking for placement help or SASSA-affordable homes. It corroborates the R19,000 figure quoted locally — and confirms the affordable beds are in Boksburg and Edenvale, not Alberton.
The reason for moving is usually that rent rises and income does not. A home escalating 10% a year turns a R3 500 top-up into R5 600 within five years. Ask what the last three years actually were.
Reporting lines, verified against government sources. Abuse of an older person is a criminal offence, and a conviction puts the person on the National Register kept by the Department of Social Development — barring them from ever working with older people again.
Directory data from CareMap; pricing and facility detail from each operator's own site where one exists. Read live on 14 August 2026. Every card links its own source.