Helenvale clinic still closed
A group acting on behalf of the frail and vulnerable in Helenvale has turned to the health minister in a desperate bid to have its clinic reopened.
But that plea appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Residents are forced to travel long distances every day to access services after the clinic closed in November.
They must now travel to the Malabar clinic.
Exacerbating their frustration is the fact that the local post office was also shut – two years ago – meaning grant recipients must also travel to access their monthly payments.
Both were shut down with rampant crime and concerns for staff safety cited.
In an ironic twist, it is business as usual at the Gelvandale police station that stands just a few hundred metres away.
Tarran Botha, 22, said it had been months of frustration for the elderly, children and residents living with disabilities.
“Why can they not call in the army or the police? We no longer know when this clinic will be open.
“We do not even know where in Malabar the clinic is.
“What will happen if there is an emergency?”
Post Office spokesperson Johan Kruger did not respond to a request for comment.
Eastern Cape health department spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha said violent gangs operating in Helenvale had forced his department to temporarily shut its doors.
“Until SAPS guarantee the safety of our employees and the people, the facility will remain closed,” he said.
“The police used to have their van parked outside the clinic but the gangsters used to strike inside,” he said.
Brigadier Fikile Macala, of the Gelvandale police station, said he did not believe gangsterism was the main reason for the closures.
“The clinic and the Post Office are next to each other.
“We provided a police van which was stationed outside.
“I even brought some office personnel to assist in this initiative, but I was surprised when I was told the facilities were closed because of gangsters terrorising workers inside.
“Why did the employees not report such incidents to officers outside?
“We did everything in our power to help but a decision was taken to shut down the facilities.”
He said he was waiting for the department to facilitate a meeting to address the issue.
Health department spokesperson Popo Maja said it was a provincial matter.
“The issue has not been escalated to the minister of health but I will forward your e-mail containing the letter to [health minister Aaron] Motsoaledi,” he said,
Concerned Citizens of Port Elizabeth Metro chair Farouk Jephtha said the move had caused untold problems.
“Last week, the community of Helenvale had a march wanting to hand over a petition to the officials, but no-one was present,” he said.
He said citizens were being deprived of their constitutional rights.