After temporarily suspending services last week due to vandalism, the Nolungile Clinic returned to operation on Monday 14 August.
The facility is among several establishments that were affected by last week’s taxi-related mayhem. It is alleged unknown people gained entry to the clinic, stole computers and phones before setting the security room alight, hindering service provision.
On Monday 14 August, the Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, reopened the clinic and urged the residents to take ownership of it.
She said it was disheartening to witness a vandalised clinic because it meant the poorest of the poor suffered.
She described her visit as an “oversight assessment”, but stated the services were back to normal.
Mbombo stated some of the items that were damaged were fixed.
During the closure she said that some patients had to travel to Site B or Michael Mapongwana CHCs. She added various other facilities were affected by the chaos.
Ward 87 councillor Khayelethu Kama said following the fire, the community opted to conduct night patrols to protect all the facilities in the ward.
“Nolungile Clinic plays a huge role in the community,” he said.
“After the incident I called an urgent community meeting to address the problem. We all condemned it and took a decision to ensure we protect all our facilities within the ward. We were patrolling day and night.”
Khayelitsha police spokesperson Capt Asanda Daweti confirmed the incident and cited that an arson case has been opened and is under investigation.
She said no arrest has been made yet.
