Frightened clinic staff refuse to help patients after robbery

Staff at Chiawelo clinic in Soweto on Tuesday morning barred patients from getting in, saying they feared for their lives after a robbery at the institution.

A resident said about 10 men posing as crime prevention wardens stormed the clinic about 1am, and beat up and robbed a doctor of R1,000. Emergency personnel were also robbed.

A security guard, who was off duty, said: “The guards who were on duty last night said they did not suspect anything when the suspects came into the clinic as they were used to having patrollers coming in.

Staff closed the entrance, refusing to allow patients in.

“They told us that they will not assist us because they fear for their lives because their staff members were robbed at gunpoint,” said patient Nompi Maziya.

“They said the robbers took cellphones, wallets and one doctor was assaulted.”

Another patient, Dumisani Sithole, said he doesn’t understand why the nurses don’t want to work.

“I’ve been here for four hours for a check-up and they told us to wait for the counsellor to speak to us. They are telling us that these robbers also stole medication and they will close the emergency section because they are not safe and they cannot continue serving us,” said Sithole.

The staff declined to speak to Sowetan.

The clinic was reopened just after 10am after a staff meeting.

Clinic manager Maria Mazibuko said they would issue a statement.

SowetanLIVE