A 16-year-old boy was brutally attacked outside Estcourt Hospital this morning (August 20) in what is believed to have been a mugging.

According to his grandmother, who is still in shock, the teenager had gone to the hospital at around 09:00 to collect his medication. After receiving it, he was approached by three men near the wooden shops outside the hospital gate. They allegedly robbed him of his money and medication before severely assaulting him.

“They beat him up badly, thinking he was dead, and dragged him into the dirt. When he woke up, he managed to walk to where his father was, in a nearby area. When he got there, he collapsed,” the grandmother told the Estcourt News.

She also expressed her disappointment at the hospital’s security guards who, despite hearing the boy scream, allegedly did not intervene. “They only asked him if he was okay. They should have taken him to the hospital when they saw he was bleeding. I am very disappointed in their actions,” she said.

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The teenager had reportedly used public transport to get to the hospital. Shockingly, this is the third time he has been attacked on his way to or from the hospital, with two incidents occurring in one month alone.

The family have not reported the matter to police as yet, saying it will be difficult because they are unable to identify the suspects.

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