Cape Town - The doors of the Manenberg Clinic will remain shut today as a result of ongoing gang violence.
Mayco member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross confirmed that the clinic would be closed until further notice, with staff working at the Ruimte Road Satellite Clinic at the Druiwevlei Community Centre.
The clinic was closed on Tuesday. Van der Ross said the City would assess the situation for next week.
“The clinic was directly affected by gang violence as they were shooting from all sides of the clinic, endangering both staff and patients,” Van der Ross said.
Previous closures were intermittent, usually lasting for a few hours or a day, at most. The 24-hour security protected facility serves about 2 532 patients a month, with the highest service demand for curative services for children, as well as TB services.
Ward councillor Bonita Jacobs said the situation was monitored by law and safety structures.
“Local leaders from different structures are also assisting to bring calm to the area. Extra SAPS and law enforcement vehicles have been deployed.”
Manenberg Safety Forum chairperson Roegshanda Pascoe said it was a persistent issue.
“People are telling me that the gangs are crawling like they’re in the army on the field shooting heavy artillery guns. How can the clinic, which has to serve babies, be open?
“They are traumatised, their mothers are traumatised, and I don’t even want to think about the babies because those are children that are going to be traumatised for the rest of their lives.
“When gang violence has reached such an extent, they move the clinic. But now, what they do not take into consideration is it means the people that had access to that clinic have to move through the shooting to get to the clinic, which is now in a safer place but still endangering the people that are making use of the clinics. And that is the harsh reality and compromises that constantly have to be made, because nobody thinks prevention, everybody is reactive,” Pascoe said.