HIJACKINGS and robberies in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole continue to thwart the Eastern Cape Department of Health’s efforts in its fight to stem the resurgence of COVID-19.
According to a press statement issued by the Eastern Cape Department of Health, the fourth vehicle that belongs to the Department’s Tracing and Testing Team was hijacked at gunpoint by robbers in Ward 19 at KwaZakhele last Thursday.
The staff were robbed of their valuables and the vehicle was recovered by the police, but all its wheels were stolen. The Tracing and Testing Teams are responsible for the tracing and testing of persons that are potentially COVID-19 positive.
“These Tracing and Testing Teams are very important in our fight against the spread of Covid-19,” said MEC Sindiswa Gomba.
“These incidents happen at a time when the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole is faced with a spike in numbers of people who are COVID-19 positive.”
Nelson Mandela Bay metropole is in pole position in terms of infections in the Eastern Cape with daily infections ranging between 200 and 300. It also has a huge number of COVID-19 active cases in the Eastern Cape.
According to Gomba, the teams are helping the very same communities that are harming, robbing, hijacking and traumatising them.
“The withdrawal of the staff from the Department of Health will leave communities very vulnerable to COVID-19 infections. The Department is still committed to providing the best of care to the people of the metropole. However, for it to provide that best and quality of care, it always needs to be protected.
The Nelson Mandela Metro is notorious for robberies of Emergency Medical Services Staff with areas like New Brighton and KwaZakhele being the hotpots for those incidents in the past. Partnerships between the department, police, and communities in fighting this scourge quelled the robberies because they were affecting the communities. (Issued: EC Department of Health)
