Pietermaritzburg – Health workers at the Mtulwa Clinic in uMgungundlovu district have been beaten with a crowbar and robbed of valuable items including a car, cellphones, a ring, money, clothes, and shoes.
The armed robbers also stole medicines, computers, tablets, and phones from the Mtulwa Clinic.
Commenting on the armed robbery Thursday, the Public Servants Association (PSA), which represents employees at Mtulwa Clinic said it was “aware that the facility has suffered an armed robbery, where staff lost valuable items”.
The PSA said the robbers beat the clinic employees with a blood stained crowbar and threatened to kill anyone who failed to follow orders.
“However, what is more disturbing is that the Department of Health in KwaZulu-Natal has not beefed-up security in the facility to protect employees who are mostly women, instead, they instructed employees to continue working as normal,” the PSA said.
“The PSA wishes to remind the department of the provisions of Section 8 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which clearly stipulates that ‘the employer is obligated to provide and maintain a workplace that is safe and without risks to the health of their employees’.
The union said it was “evident that the employer does not care about the wellbeing of employees as the facility is staffed with only two unarmed security officers who are also scared of these criminals”.
The PSA demanded that the department deploy a security vehicle at the clinic.
“Failure to comply with this request, would be tantamount to breach of Section 8 of the OHSA and would leave the PSA with no other choice but to approach responsible authorities with evidence that may lead to the closure of the facility,” said the union.
The PSA said it has requested an urgent meeting with the uMgungundlovu District Office and Appelsbosch Hospital to discuss the listed concerns.
