Security guards use ‘dog-house’ as guard-room at Market clinic

VEREENIGING.- The conditions that the security guards at the Emfuleni Local Municipality’s (ELM) Market Avenue Clinic in Vereeniging work in should make the MMC of Health at the ELM ashamed that the clinic falls under her department.
Sedibeng Ster was invited recently to witness first-hand the bad conditions. There guards, four in a shift, literally use a ‘dog-house’ (Wendy house) as a guard room. This is where they have to take cover during these hard winter conditions and when it rains. The ‘dog-house’ does not have electricity and an electrical extension has to be used to supply electricity and the guards have to use cell-phone lights when patrolling at night. When there is load-shedding there is apparently a generator that supplies electricity but it is at risk of being stolen because of insufficient lighting outside the clinic.
“Our lives are at risk here, please help us. There are serious medications that we are guarding here and under these difficult conditions it is impossible to do so. Look at this thing they call a guard-house, it is nothing but a house for dogs. We feel that Emfuleni does not care about us and its property, which is in turn the people’s property,” they said sternly.
The security guards said that they have reported all their problems to the sisters in charge at the clinic but that for a long time nothing has been done.
At the time of going to print Sedibeng Ster had send an enquiry to the ELM Communications department about the matter.