According to sources, the events on February 25 unfolded when a vehicle involved in the heist crashed into the clinic yard, and then the situation developed into a shootout between security and the robbers.
“The accident happened around 9:00 in the morning,” said a clinic staff member who asked to remain anonymous. He said they heard a loud crash outside and then patients started fleeing into the clinic.
‘Patients ran for cover because the robbers and security guards were shooting at each other outside,’ he said. One robber was shot and killed inside the clinic yard, one patient sustained minor injuries from a stray bullet, and a nurse was injured in the stampede of people running inside the clinic for cover. The clinic was closed for the rest of the day.
The Soshanguve community was astonished by the event and said that more police visibility around the clinic may prevent the same thing from happening in the future.
“These people have no respect for the sick, pregnant mothers and community service points like the clinic. How can they continue shooting each other right inside the yard of the clinic?” said Yvonne, a community worker and active leader in the community. – OurHealth/Health-e News Service
Tshilidzi Tuwani is an OurHealth Citizen Journalist reporting from Soshanguve in the Tshwane health district in Gauteng.
