Motherwell clinic shut as vandals strike again
Patients turned away after water pipes cut in suspected act of sabotage
IN what is believed to be an act of sabotage, vandals have struck the NU11 Clinic in Motherwell for the third time in just a month. Mystified staff arrived at the clinic yesterday to find pieces of plastic piping – about 10cm in length – strewn around the premises, causing the water supply to be cut.
Services at the Gotyiba Street Clinic were stopped as the water spewed onto the ground from about six different pipes.
The main water pipe which leads to the toilet facilities was among those cut.
Admin clerk Wezile Sandlana, 34, said everything was intact on Friday before staff locked up but when they arrived for work yesterday morning, they discovered the vandalism.
“This is a terrible thing to have happened because we had to turn people away when we were forced to cut the water supply,” Sandlana said.
“Being that it is the third time that our pipes have been cut, it is just unacceptable to have to work under these conditions.
“It almost feels like an act of sabotage because each time this happens, it gets fixed and then a few days later they strike again but the weirdest thing is that all the copper is still here.”
He said the only solution would be to employ a security guard to work at night.
There is one security guard employed who only works during the day.
Nursing sister Pumla Ntlanganisela, 59, said not having water was troubling as it restricted patient care. “This is a big problem because not having water stops us from helping those in need,” she said.
“It is a real mess because the staff members also have to take turns in relieving themselves.
“We had to ask the neighbours to fill buckets of water for the toilets for us to clean them.”
Ntlanganisela echoed Sandlana’s sentiments about the act of sabotage, saying a number of staff members had also received threats from angry community members.
“The clinic is opposite a shebeen and after a weekend of partying we get scolded and sworn at for not cooperating with their [community members’] demands, which include issuing sick notes on a Monday morning,” she said.
DA MPL Celeste Barker, who weighed in on the ongoing vandalism at the clinic, said she would be investigating the matter.
“I will submit questions to the MEC requesting feedback about measures taken to secure reliable service delivery at all our provincial clinics. This is unacceptable,” she said.
Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo appealed to residents in the area to leave the health care facilities alone.
“We are concerned about crimes where people target the health facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay because it is the very same community members who commit criminal acts but who also need the essential services at the end of day,” he said.
“We are appealing to the community to please stay away from health facilities because these clinics are essential to everyone. This poses a real risk especially for those in need.”
This is a big problem because it stops us from helping those in need