Armed ‘thugs’ make off with Eastern Cape health department vehicles

Five criminals “pretending to be sick” managed to gain entry to the Joubertina Hospital premises on Friday in order to rob it.

“When the security guard opened the gate so that they could get the help he thought they needed, the men pulled guns on the security guard and demanded [keys] to the vehicles. The five men then stole an Isuzu bakkie and a Toyota Corolla,” Provincial Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said in a statement on Saturday.

The security guard was found tied up with tape but unharmed.

Both cars were found shortly afterwards by police, abandoned not far from the hospital.

The incident comes on the back of a state vehicle being stolen from a clinic in Libode on Thursday night.

The police were alerted but the car has not yet been recovered.

Kupelo has condemned both incidents, calling the criminals “brazen thugs”.

“Targeting clinics and hospitals is nothing but pure thuggery that has no place in society. When the department’s cars are stolen, that negatively impacts on the department to deliver services. We would like to call on communities to work with the department and the police to ensure that those that target our facilities are brought to book.”

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