Two City facilities robbed and burgled in two weeks

The City of Cape Town has condemned the burglary and theft of Masincedane Clinic in Nyanga as well as the Brown’s Farm Library. The Clinic was robbed two weeks ago and the library was burgled last week.

In the case of the Masincedane Clinic, security staff were robbed at gunpoint on Friday 19 August and the facility will be closed until Tuesday, 30 August. This means clients have to attend the neighbouring clinics of Gugulethu, Vuyani and Nyanga.

The Brown’s Farm Library meanwhile was burgled when thieves broke through a security gate and door.

Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross said the unknown suspects made off with a number of SmartCape and City of Cape Town computers, monitors, hand-held scanners, keyboards, first aid kit and multi-plugs. SmartCape is an Internet service designed to help citizens of Cape Town access the Internet, free of charge.

PICTURE: CoCT - The Brown’s Farm Library burgled


‘’Crime is an ongoing scourge in our communities and when it affects facilities residents depend on, it not only hampers service delivery but also puts lives at risk.’’

‘’Those with appointments have been contacted to reschedule their health visits, while chronic medication is being couriered to clients at the alternative clinics they are attending in the interim,’’ she added.

Van der Ross said the library remains open, but patrons who want to make use of the SmartCape facility will have to do so at the nearby Crossroads Library for the foreseeable future.

‘’The trauma on staff cannot be measured and this often leads to longer closures as they recover from these incidents’’

The cost to replace stolen items and the value of time and services lost, says the mayco member, is yet to be calculated.

 ‘’It’s a cost the communities and the directorate can ill afford.  The criminals, and the residents who protect them, must realise that the quality of the services they receive are negatively impacted by the extra money we have to spend on safeguarding facilities, repairing damages and replacing stolen resources,’’ said Mayco member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross.

Residents can report crime and by-law offences anonymously, 24-hours a day, on 0800 110077.

 

Done By: Mitchum George

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