The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has halted all outreach programmes for a month at Ndwedwe north of Durban. This follows an incident where a male nurse was hijacked and killed. The incident is not the first in the area where criminals are targeting state vehicles. The nurse was travelling with other health professionals to a training session in Durban when they were attacked.
Hijackings and theft of state vehicles are on the rise in KwaZulu-Natal. Areas on the north of Durban including KwaMashu, Inanda as well as Ndwedwe have been identified as hotspots. The recent hijacking that claimed the life of a male nurse was the last straw for healthcare workers unions.
Two years ago, eight armed men entered the Department of Agriculture offices in Ndwedwe held up security guards and drove away with state vehicles. It’s believed these criminals are part of a syndicate that is targeting government vehicles. The health department says they are looking at ways to improve workers safety.
“We are meeting with MEC [Sipho Emmanuel] Hlomuka and General [Nhlanhla] Mkhwanazi in the next couple of days so that we find a way around this particular problem although we are very much aware of the shortages that SAPS themselves have. They don’t have enough cars, they don’t have enough human resources. If we take away one vehicle from SAPS for it to accompany our outreach teams, it means they are one vehicle short in terms of fighting crime,” says Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane.
Unions say the targeting of state vehicles especially at Ndwedwe has been an ongoing issue.
“We cannot allow the public servants to become statistics. Nurses have been hijacked, social workers even those who work in ambulances, they have been killed and hijacked in the process. We are asking the question what is it that the state is actually doing because our members are being robbed in their workplace. KZN is not safe anymore, over 3 000 cars that have been hijacked in the province between 2022 and 2023. We call upon the national commissioner, the minister and MEC, the society to deal with these criminal activities,” says Public Servant Association spokesperson Mlungisi Ndlovu.
Police are investigating a case of murder, attempted murder and hijacking.
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