Durban Metro Police block DA oversight inspection at Glen Earle Clinic

Durban Metro police staged a blockade outside the Glen Earle Clinic in Newlands East on Monday ahead of the Democratic Alliance’s oversight inspection at the clinic.

The party said it had received numerous reports and complaints from community members about shoddy services at the clinic, which was the reason behind the oversight visit.

“As part of the Unite, Rebuild and Protect tour we visited areas in North Durban with the Constituency Head, Dean Macpherson and DA councillors,” said DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers.

Rogers said members of the Provincial Legislature and Macpherson as a member of Parliament, are allowed to conduct these visits.

“After having spoken to the clinic management to let us in, the Metro police were instead deployed to block us from entering,” said Rodgers.

A total of 12 Metro Police vehicles with 22 officers arrived to prevent elected politicians from doing oversight.

“I understand this instruction to block us came from Head of Metro Police, Steve Middleton and ANC Councillor, Dianne Hoorzuk in violation of Section 55 of the Constitution and the Parliamentary prescripts to oversight and accountability,” said Rodgers.

“The ANC is clearly frightened of the DA, so much so they have decided to use all the resources available to them to try and intermediate us from holding the municipality to account,” said Rodgers.

Rodgers described the blockade as a disgrace because politicians could allegedly deploy police to the political battlefield while communities in eThekwini were “under siege from gangsters and criminals”.

The DA plans to report the incident to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Provincial Legislature and demand that the municipality and Metro Police are held accountable for violating the Constitution.

(Compiled by Narissa Subramoney)

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