Cape Town - The Gugulethu Clinic was forced to close temporarily after two alleged robbers were killed on Tuesday.
Western Cape police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the two men, who held construction workers at gunpoint, demanded cash and cellphones at around 10am.
"One of the victims allegedly fired shots at the suspects with his licensed firearm and fatally wounded both," said Swartbooi.
“Gugulethu police are investigating a business robbery and opened an inquest for further investigation. A firearm recovered on the scene will be sent for ballistic testing.”
The City said the clinic had to be temporarily closed to allow police to conduct their investigation and the facility’s staff to receive trauma debriefing.
“Our Department of Health staff have become the targets of hijackings, robbery and abuse. This latest shooting is in addition to the incidents that have already taken place at Weltevreden Valley Clinic, Crossroads 1 and Mzamomhle clinic,” said mayoral committee member for health Zahid Badroodien.
He said the clinic has security guards but the facility remained a public place for those in need and should not be subjected to criminal activity.
“It is appalling that the lives of the very people who serve our communities and who have stayed standing amidst a pandemic are disregarded.
“Nurses and doctors are the fabric that hold us together during this trying time and to put their lives at risk, especially now when we need them most, is condemned in the strongest terms.
“The closure of the clinic is temporary while we allow for the SAPS to conduct its investigation and facility staff to receive trauma debriefing, and again it is our most vulnerable who suffer.”
He said elderly residents, those who are ill, mothers and babies who need medication and life-saving vaccines have been deprived of a facility, even if it’s for a short time.
“I call upon all residents to help protect the facility and our staff members who deliver critical services.
“As we enter our third wave, it is crucial that residents are able to gain access to healthcare services closest to them,” said Badroodien.
Cape Times