ActionSA councillor in Ward 109 Bulelani Ntlemeza has condemned the attack on Thoko Mngoma Clinic security officers, calling it barbaric and an attack against the residents.

This comes after the guards at the clinic were attacked by an unspecified number of assailants on the morning of December 18.

Read more: River Park Clinic serves as a lifeline in Alexandra’s fight against substance abuse

According to eyewitnesses, one of the security officers was stabbed during the attack and later rushed to hospital for medical treatment.

Ntlemeza, who met and engaged with clinic management, spoke harshly against the attack, emphasising that Ward 109 cannot be allowed to degenerate into a state of lawlessness where people do as they please. “We are against this barbaric attack. Security personnel are looking after our facility. If people come to attack the security, that means they are against us, as the residents of Ward 109. This is the only clinic we have here, and we have to protect it by all means.”

The incident left some residents frustrated as they had to queue for long hours without receiving help. “[The incident] forced us to wait outside from early in the morning up until when they opened at 11:00. They never informed us or gave us any update about what was happening,” Alexandra resident Samkelisiwe Khumalo stressed.

Also read: Mashaba-era clinics continue to offer hope to Alex amid ongoing substance abuse

On the issue of enhancing communication between residents and the clinic, Ntlemeza said there needs to be co-operation between security officers and clinic staff, so that information can be relayed to the people more swiftly. “They need to brief the community and inform them about how the services will run on that day.”

Furthermore, he urged residents to co-operate with clinic staff. “We’re asking that the residents co-operate with the clinic management and workers, including security officers, because you cannot enter a clinic without passing security.”

He added that, as a protective measure, all clinics in the community need to have their security beefed up. “There is no way that, among all the security [officers], not even one is armed. There must be an armed security guard among others.”

Alex News reached out to the department of health, and will update the report once their response has been received.

Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!