Following the massive service delivery protest that broke out on 4 November in the Zenzele informal settlement where residents took to the streets and burned down a local clinic, the West Rand District Health Services has released shocking figures of the damages incurred.
According to the West Rand District Health Services spokesperson Sandile Gwayi, the clinic has suffered damages that amount to over R200 000 when residents torched the entire building including patients’ files.
“We are obviously saddened by the incident,” says Gwayi.
“We are currently working on a contingency plan with regards to a way forward after this disaster
“Based on our investigations, three freight containers where the clinic was operating from were completely burned down.
“A total of three generators worth R60 000 and five gas cylinders disappeared without trace.
“There are no indications that they were destroyed in the fire.
“We have also lost medication with an approximate R96 000,” says Gwayi.
He adds that general stock to the value of R5278.78 and movable assets to the value of R8 931,35 were also lost in the fire.
Meanwhile, the MEC for Health in Gauteng Hope Papo has condemned the use of violence during protest actions and described the incident as “thuggery masquerading as a service delivery protest”.
“We cannot allow a situation where the lives of the sick are endangered and essential services such as medical care are disrupted as a result of such criminal acts.
“Such barbaric behaviour is completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated in a constitutional democracy such as ours,” says Papo.
Papo added that such incidents are also creating fear among the workers at the facility.
Meanwhile, Gwayi has announced that the Department has allocated the staff members to different facilities within the Randfontein sub-district.
“We ask that people bare with us during this difficult time as we will be experiencing high volumes of patients visiting the Mohlakeng Clinic, Ya Rona and M.L Pressen Clinic owing to the destroyed clinic in Zenzele,” says Gwayi.
