The Mpumalanga Health Department has some explaining to do after a stabbing victim, who waited more than an hour for an ambulance that never arrived, further allowed the closure of the casualty ward at Middelburg Hospital, while the hospital is moving to the new district hospital.

The district hospital is also not  open for patients, resulting in patients being left stranded at Middelburg Hospital.

Despite the fact that the stabbing victim had to wait for over an hour just to be told there’s no ambulances available, he now has to wait even longer without medical care, for an ambulance to come from Witbank to transport him there.

Read more here: https://www.citizen.co.za/middelburg-observer/news/2025/11/13/no-ambulances-man-stabbed-with-bottle-rushed-to-hospital-on-back-of-bakkie/

A witness at the hospital says they are unable to reach Witbank ambulance services too.

To crown the crisis, there’s at least three brand new ambulances parked at the Middelburg Hospital the witness says, with a picture to prove his allegations.

The witness says there’s a female patient at Middelburg Hospital with an open fracture that were told to arrange her own transport to Witbank Hospital.

The stabbing victim had to be transported to hospital on the back of a bakkie more than an hour after he had been stabbed, just to arrive at dead man’s door.

Also read: https://www.citizen.co.za/middelburg-observer/news/2025/11/13/man-stabbed-behind-spca/

“If people die at the hospital today it is the fault of the government, they don’t give a damn about us,” the livid witness barked.

Health Department spokesman Christopher Nobela could not be reached for comment.

“I hope the patients bankrupt the heartless department with civil claims for trampling on their constitutional rights,” the witness says.