Police are on a manhunt for about nine armed suspects who stormed the Alex Community Health Centre at about 8.30pm on 26 May and stabbed a patient to death who had presented himself for treatment of injuries minutes earlier.
Alex Police Station spokesperson Captain Stephen Malatji said the horrific incident which shocked the nation, occurred in the casualty department when the victim of about 32 years of age was being attended to by medical staff.
“It happened in full view of other patients leaving them and the staff traumatised. They were given trauma counselling while others are said to have fled from the scene,” Malatji said.
He added that the suspects who were armed with pangas forced their way in through the front gate on Vincent Tshabalala Road, brushing aside a security guard and got into the building where they looked around and found the victim being treated.
The clinic manager, Ellen Masupa, explained that the suspects, who didn’t utter a word, descended on the victim with pangas and knives forcing the staff to run away. The suspects left him dead in his blood on the floor in full view of those who were transfixed by the incident.
Masupa said a witness claimed to have seen a gun on one of the suspects. “The witnesses are receiving trauma counselling. The clinic had to be closed for the night until 10am the following morning to allow police to process the scene. Counselling is to continue and the scene will be cleaned and cleared of the blood and other disorder,” Masupa said.
She added that it seemed the group had come in to finish him off after a tiff they may have had. She called the incident horrific, adding that the surrounding community was volatile with aggressive people who consistently swear and threaten each other.
She pleaded with residents to respect clinics as public facilities that should be safe and instil hope, and for those who come in to respect the clinic and staff’s service to humankind. Masupa appealed for improved security and suggested that turnstiles be installed to control entry and exit.
Gauteng health MEC, Gwen Ramokgopa, who is said to have visited the centre, expressed outrage. She urged for closer cooperation between residents and police and called for police’s increased visibility.
Stakeholders met on 28 May to devise plans for improved security at the centre, which was taken over by the provincial government from a non-governmental organisation about two years ago.
Sources claim there have been incidents in the past of warring gangs raiding the clinic looking for victims who had fled into the facility to seek treatment; while others demanded that their injured gang members be prioritised over other patients.
Malatji urged residents to value human life and stop abusing alcohol, saying this is often linked to fights.
He asked for witnesses to help the police in their investigation by contacting 011 321 7719 or 011 321 7600.
