Angry men allegedly dumped coal at Klekrsdorp Tshepong Hospital on Friday morning.
Photos: Mohanoe Khiba.
- A group of men allegedly offloaded coal to block the delivery gate at the Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital Complex.
- MEC Madoda Sambatha said the group expressed unhappiness over the newly appointed coal service provider.
- Sambatha said the incident had not affected the delivery of hospital services or prevented access to the hospital, and normal operations were continuing.
A group of men allegedly offloaded coal to block the delivery gate at the Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital complex on Friday morning, according to the North West health department.
Health MEC Madoda Sambatha serious concern over the incident.
“It is alleged that a group of men, suspected to be armed, forcefully took keys from truck drivers who were awarded [the tender] to deliver coal at the hospital. They offloaded the coal at the delivery entrance,” Sambatha said.
The incident comes two months after a group of doctors at the hospital were robbed of their cellphones, money and valuable possessions during an armed robbery. Four armed men entered the boardroom where the doctors were meeting and pointed guns at them.
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Sambatha said that to speed up service delivery and ensure that coal was always available for hot water and smooth running of other operations at the hospitals, the department requested to participate in an already existing coal tender.
Angry men allegedly dumped coal at Klekrsdorp Tshepong Hospital on Friday morning. Photos: Mohanoe Khiba.
The MEC said:
The tender has already been awarded in the Free State, and all the necessary processes – to ascertain the validity of the tender that it was not irregular and was awarded in accordance with the law – were done.
He said the group expressed unhappiness over the newly appointed coal service provider.
Sambatha said the incident had not affected the delivery of hospital services or prevented access to the hospital, and normal operations were continuing.
“The department views this incident in a serious light, especially because the tender was legitimately and fairly awarded following the applicable legislation. We are calling on police to investigate this crime and bring to book all involved,” the MEC said.
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