KZN Health MEC condemns torching of R6m hospital building by community
A security guard was injured in the early hours of Thursday morning.
JOHANNESBURG – KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu has called on the community of Amatikulu to stop what she called “anarchy” after they torched a brand new R6 million building at the Catherine Booth Hospital.
A security guard was injured in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Some community members are unhappy over proposals to convert a section of the hospital into a COVID-19 treatment facility.
The hospital currently caters for nearly 40 patients, some are in COVID-19 isolation.
Simelane-Zulu said that the criminal behaviour should never be tolerated.
“There is no way in the country, and in the world, where communities are consulted before a health facility is utilised as a COVID-19 centre. We are going to continue to use this facility for COVID-19 patients, and if the community is not going to allow us to continue with this, it means they don’t need this facility and we might need to ask the premier to close it,” the MEC said.
KZN is preparing for the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
#COVID19 | KZN DAILY FIGURES
— KZN Provincial Gov (@kzngov) July 31, 2020
TOTAL SCREENED: 9,747,937
TEST CONDUCTED: 204,105
Yesterday, 30 July 2020, KwaZulu-Natal Province recorded 2 679 new cases. The province contributed 24% of the new cases reported nationally and continues to be the fourth highest countrywide. pic.twitter.com/WNVkWEGBqo