Durban - eThekwini Municipality’s health workers are under siege from brazen criminals, and many have been attacked and robbed inside municipal clinics.
The SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) said attacks directed at municipal employees had become regular.
The City said that this year alone, staff members in at least five clinics had been victims of crime while performing their duties.
According to Samwu, members had reported serious security breaches at the unit’s offices and clinics.
It said on March 27 at the Austerville Clinic, gunfire was exchanged between drug lords in the vicinity of the clinic.
At the Merebank Clinic in March, a person allegedly selling drugs came to collect his chronic medication at the clinic and was approached by other drug dealers who wanted to shoot him at the facility. A guard managed to disarm one of the attackers and the police were called.
In May, at the Uganda Clinic, a staff member was hijacked at gunpoint inside the clinic.
“In Umlazi N clinic staff members were robbed of their cellphones and other belongings at gunpoint. In uMlazi AA Clinic, on June 14, staff were robbed at gunpoint, resulting in five cellphones being taken, leaving them traumatised. In most of these facilities you normally find one security guard,” Sawmu said.
Queen Mbatha of Imatu said they were concerned about the safety of their members.
“These robberies don’t only affect the employer – our members are robbed of their personal belongings, cellphones, wallets and jewellery,” she said.
“The clinics are housing medicines, e.g. cough mixtures, ARVs and pain medication, which are the main ingredients for drugs, hence they are targeted. The municipality has failed the health unit employees, yet they provide the most needed services in communities.”
Lindiwe Khuzwayo, the municipality’s head of communications, said health services buildings (clinics) had experienced incidents where criminal elements had gained entry into the buildings, and at times armed robberies had taken place.
“These incidents have resulted in the loss of assets used to serve communities. Furthermore, when employees and patients are robbed of their personal belongings at gunpoint, they suffer emotional trauma.”
She said there had been a noted increase in copper pipe theft at night, and some facilities were damaged when water was left gushing into the buildings.
These incidents, said Khuzwayo, had caused disruptions in service delivery. The City also carried the financial burden of constantly replacing stolen items and fixing damaged infrastructure.
“The City is, however, trying by all means to strengthen security measures to try to keep our service delivery outlets, our employees and clients safe. We call upon our communities to share any information that might help us eradicate this scourge,” said Khuzwayo.