During a separate attack on Wednesday, at Umzinyathi District, a nurse was forced to pay her last R300 to a group of assailants in exchange for her safety and that of a colleague.
“It is alleged that the mobile health teams were en route to various mobile health clinic points at Umzinyathi District when they were forced off the road by unknown gun-wielding men in a Toyota Quantum,” explained Simelane. The men then set one of the vehicles alight and smashed the windows of two others. The highly-traumatised staff members have had to receive counselling.“We are deeply disturbed, shocked, and concerned by these incidents. We appeal to communities not to attack our healthcare workers or destroy public property because it deprives them of much-needed healthcare services and resources meant to assist them.
“No one will ever know the full effects of these attacks on the psyche of the affected staff. Destroying vehicles and property take a serious toll on us because our resources are scarce,” Simelane explained.