Three clinics destroyed over the weekend

By Marthe van der Wolf
10 September 2007

The community clinic in Tafelsig was guttered by fire on Saturday. The fire destroyed offices, equipment and some medical records. Computer equipment is missing but nobody got hurt as the clinic was closed for the weekend. The community Clincs in Westridge and Rocklands were allegedly robbed Sunday night as well.

It is suspected that the fire in Tafelsig was started to destroy evidence, after the unidentified persons were unable to break into the pharmacy area, looking for chemicals which are used for Tik. It is further suspected that the group is part of a syndicate as similar break-ins had occured at other clinics in Mitchells Plain.

Allegedly, equipment has been stolen from the clinic in Westridge. But both in Westridge and in Tafelsig, the people who broke in, couldn’t get hold of any chemicals that is used for Tik.

The pharmacy in Tafelsig housed millions of rands worth of medication including ARV’s and chronic medication and it boasted a 100% TB cure rate. The City of Cape Town saw Tafelsig clinic as a model clinic after the City invested over a million rand to upgrade the clinc. It attracted patients from Langa, Khayelitsha, Guguletu and Maccassar.

Since the other two clinics has allegedly also been robbed, it affects even more people. Especially the poorest of the poor are effected as they make everyday use of the clinics.
Local community leaders and residents were outraged that their clinic in Tafelsig had been destroyed. Before they could cope with this, they found out about the break in of the Westridge clinic. The Mayoral Committee member for Health in the City of Cape Town, counsellor Martin Fienies, lives in Mitchells Plain. He was on the scene soon after the fire had been reported in the Tafelsig clinic.

"When I got there, the whole place was burning. There was nothing, absolutely nothing in that place. It was terrible, no ceiling absolutely nothing. It was a beautiful place. It was an act of coward to do this to our communities," Says Fienies.

Martin Fienies wants to put a R1000 reward for the people who have useful information. Contact him on 084 866 0080