Pretoria - Gauteng Health MEC Hope Papo has called on the community of Zenzele informal settlement, near Mohlakeng in Randfontein, to expose the criminals responsible for the torching of a local clinic.
The clinic, which was housed in four containers, was burned during what Papo described as “thuggery masquerading as a service delivery protest” in the area, which started on Monday.
Three of the containers were completely razed by the fire.
The clinic, which services the community of ward 12, had four consulting rooms and reached more than 1 300 patients per month.
During the fire, medication, a computer, moveable assets, patients’ files and equipment were damaged.
Papo has strongly condemned this criminal act and urged the community to expose the perpetrators so that they can face the consequences of their actions.
“We cannot allow a situation where the lives of the sick are endangered and essential services such as medical care are disrupted as the result of such a criminal acts. Such barbaric behaviour is completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated in a constitutional democracy such as ours, where citizens have a right to peacefully protest.
“Health facilities should not be vandalised and destroyed, as they are vital in the delivery of quality health care…" said Papo, adding that the incident has created fear among the staff at the facility.
Papo warned that such criminal actions are taken seriously and are reported to the police.
All staff members at the clinic will be temporarily allocated to different facilities within Randfontein. – SAnews.gov.za
