Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s health department announced on Thursday that, because of ongoing safety challenges at its facilities, a budget of over R10 million had been allocated for security.
“Some of our facilities are really taking a battering at the hands of vandals and criminals and security therefore continues to be a big headache,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Health Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli.
The department’s budget of R10.6 million - an increase of R2.4 million from the previous financial year - would be used for preventative measures such as the installation of burglar bars, employment of security guards, alarm systems, and fencing.
The budget would cover security at the City’s 79 clinics, seven community day centres, and 22 satellite clinics.
“Even then, these measures are not guaranteed to keep criminals at bay,” said Mamkeli.
The worst hit by vandalism, burglaries, and gang-related actions was the Tygerberg Sub-District which includes areas such as Belhar, Bishop Lavis, and Valhalla Park.
The most high-risk of these sub-district facilities have been reinforced with measures such as perimeter beams and access control scanners.
“It is a sad day when our clinics start resembling prisons,” said Mamkeli.
“This is not the ideal environment for staff or clients and the reality is that increased budgets do not account for the emotional toll on the people who work in the clinics or use the facilities.”
Mamkeli said because of the ongoing security challenges, the department was struggling to keep some of its staff members.
“This impacts on service delivery because clients wait longer to be attended to, data capturing backlogs arise because IT and telephone lines are damaged or stolen, and sometimes clinics have to close their doors until crucial services like electricity and water are restored.”
Mamkeli said the department would also consult its counterparts in the Safety and Security Directorate about the possible deployment of Law Enforcement staff and the newly-launched Stabilisation Unit. Increasing staff morale which had been affected by concerns for safety would also be addressed by the department as a separate matter.
However, Mamkeli hoped the affected communities would join the City in finding the perpetrators and curbing vandalism and theft.
“We cannot simply continue throwing money at the problem. Until people change their mind-set and start recognising the value of protecting assets in their communities, we will continue to face this problem.”
“I also want to lay down the challenge to communities: name and shame the criminals in your community who are ultimately affecting your quality of life, establish community crime watch structures, and play an active role in safeguarding these assets that are ultimately there for your benefit,” he said.
ANA