COPS ROUND- UP GOVT NURSES FOR LOOTING
Some nurses, orderlies identified through CCTV Colleagues reveal others during investigation Allegedly given option to return items or pay E3 000 Cops were also looting - nurses
Some of the nurses and orderlies were identified through camera footage while others were snitched on by their colleagues during an investigation.
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MB A B A N E – L o o t i n g during riots is not always due t o hunger, unemployment and poverty. This follows the arrest of some nurses and staff of Hlatikhulu Government Hospital, who allegedly looted various shops four weeks ago.
The police invaded the Hlatikhulu Government Hospital last week in search of a number of nurses and orderlies who were involved in looting.
The police were ar med with a list of names of staff members who are implicated in the criminal activity that took place during protest marches that tur ned violent, characterised by arson attacks and looting.
Sources within the hospital disclosed that some of the nurses and orderlies were identified through camera footage while others were snitched on by their colleagues during an investigation.
Some of the hospital staff is wanted for looting groceries while others were said to have looted clothing items from shops such as Pep and fur niture from other shops.
LOOTED
According to an impeccable source within the hospital, some nurses and o r d e r l i e s who had looted baby c l o t h e s ended up s e l l i n g them to e x p e c t a n t mothers who arrived at the hospital for delivery and checkups.
“The looting that was accompanied by violence brought the whole town to a standstill, so mothers who had hoped to purchase baby clothes for their newborns were stranded as shops were forced to close down and at that time it was unclear when the situation would retur n to normal,” said a source who works in one of the hospital wards.
“We don’t have many shops that sell baby clothing here in Hlatikhulu, so Pep’s closure was a huge blow to most expectant mothers admitted to the Maternity Ward.”
The sources said when the police arrived at the hospital; they convened a meeting with the authorities and explained their mission.
“They then gave the list to the hospital authorities who summoned some of the people whose names appeared
there.”
IMPLICATED
It was said that most of those who were i m p l i c a t e d admitted to have been involved in the looting. T h o s e who were p r e s e n t when the i n v e s t i g a - tion was done said the hospital authorities then compiled a s u b - l i s t which they handed over to the respective supervisors of those implicated, to deal with the matter at depart
mental level.
Apparently, the hospital negotiated with the police to engage the fingered hospital staff and also set a date when they would take them to the police station as a group.
AGREED
“We have been told that the latest developments are that some of the staff members agreed to pay a sum of E3 000, even though it could not be immediately ascertained where this money would be directed to,” alleged a source.
What came out clearly is that a very few items were recovered as the looting had taken place a
while ago.
“They were given an option to either bring back the items or pay E3 000 each.”
The source said there was a discussion yesterday where everyone involved wanted to know how the police would deter mine if the retur ned items belonged to Spar, Shoprite or Lewis Furnitures.
FACILITATED
This newspaper gathered from some security officers in most of the shops that were broken into, that the acts were facilitated by some male nurses who were not in unifor m.
“Hlatikhulu is a small town where almost everyone knows one another. We witnessed some nurses who did not participate in the march, but led the pack in breaking into shops. There were a handful of others who came straight from the hospital and looted while wearing their respective nurses unifor m.”
Some of those who were interviewed said the looters would lear n a lesson.
She said it was amusing how some orderlies now feared losing their jobs yet they never considered that when they looted, an act that has rendered hundreds of people jobless.
“We sympathise with them because right now they are stressed as they have to fork out money and face the law.”
Some nurses said they were not sympathising because they were now suffering just because they never participated in the looting.
“How I wish the police could raid each implicated person’s place because looted groceries are still stocked up in the houses.
“What irks me is that during the time when we had nowhere to buy soap, the looters were not even giving us any when we asked and they were blaming us for enjoying our sleep while they were busy in the streets looting at night.”
There was also a discussion among other staff members on where the E3 000 would go.
GENERATE
“Will the money go towards insurance for the affected shops or it will go into gover nment coffers to generate revenue?”
Others felt pity for those who had looted items whose value was less than the E3 000.
It was also said that the police were also searching for those who purchased the looted items.
“Hlatikhulu is a small town and most people know each other here, so that is why it is easy to identify others, even those who bought looted items,” a source, who claimed she never looted, said.
The number of staff members under investigation could not be established.
On Tuesday, National Commissioner of Police William Dlamini confir med the arrest of 697 people in relation to the unrest, some of whom are fac
Some nurses did not participate in the march, but led the pack in breaking into shops. Others looted while wearing their nurses uniform.”
ing charges of housebreaking and looting.
Shops that were looted and destroyed include big and small supermarkets, fur niture shops, hardware shops, butcheries, car dealerships and liquor stores.
Most of these were also gutted down, causing damage estimated at E3 billion.
After an assessment made by gover nment and business associations it was declared that some of the affected businesses would cease operations permanently while others would take years to get back to where they are.
Business Eswatini CEO Nathi Dlamini decried the crisis saying they were caught up in a situation whose conception they were never part of.
“One local businessman, whom we had watched with awe as he built his small business into a giant enterprise, lost everything to looting and burning.
“This is a liSwati who had done nothing to offend anyone except to create jobs for our people, especially the youth.”
CONFIDENTIAL
The Hospital Administrator, identified only as a Sibandze, said matters involving the police and individual members of staff were confidential between the two parties.
She said she was not in a position to comment about this issue.
Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said the matter had not reached the ministry’s attention.
“It means the hospital administration is yet to report the matter. That is when I can be in a position to comment.”
Dr Magagula said it would be very disrespectful of the nurses to commit a crime, especially when in unifor m.
Deputy Police Infor mation and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confir med the matter and said the police conducted their own investigation to trace and locate the suspects.
“We identified some of the suspects and yes we approached their administrator and told her that we were going to charge them.”
Mnguni said the implicated staff members went to the police station, where they were charged and warned to appear before court.
It could not be immediately established if they eventually appeared in court yesterday as scheduled.
Mnguni said some of those who were arrested had looted cellphones from some of the shops.
INVESTIGATIONS
“Our investigations are ongoing and we have advised anyone willing to come out and bring forward looted items to do so. Otherwise our processes are also ongoing.”
The police mouthpiece said she was not aware of any arrangement related to payment of E3 000 for unretur ned goods.
So far gover nment has confir med the arrest of about 679 people for crimes related to looting.
Some of whom were released after paying bail deposits ranging from E500 to E2 000.
Some had their cases finalised in court where they were fined an amount of up to E10 000.
There are a couple of others who were initially denied bail for various reasons.