By Kouthar Sambo

Violent criminality continues to escalate having a detrimental impact on the delivery of health services in Cape Town. This is According to the Western Cape Department of Health,

“Our managers are assessing how many staff have been able to get to work. We probably have to continue cancelation of the electric surgeries, which will have a massive impact since we have been trying to catch up on our surgeries. We may have to curtail the services at the primary care clinics as well.” said the Department’s Dr Saadiq Kariem.

This comes after taxi body, the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), announced a stay away until the 9th of August (2023). Sporadic incidents have since been recorded as a result of SANTACO’s decision. However, the council reportedly said that none of its members are responsible for the violence being instigated.

“I know areas such as Nyanga, Langa, Philippi, and Vanguard are heavily affected by the violence, and staff cannot get to work from those areas. Naturally, we have had to reduce our service, which is going to have an impact,” reiterated Kariem.

He went on to say that people who require chronic medication will be affected mostly, unless residents are fortunate to access the facility easily. As for community members who cannot physically get there, said Kariem, they will have the short end of the stick.

“We have to focus on the trauma and emergency first, and so, that is going to have an impact on people having to wait for longer appointments, or possibly even missing the appointments because we have to focus on the emergency and the trauma that comes in through the doors,” explained Kariem.

The result of the disorder is several health services operating at minimal capacity. While the City of Cape Town and the province are working hard to resolve the conflict imposed by taxi operators, communities, school children, commuters, and locals on the ground are suffering the most.

“We had some of our staff who were stoned on the way to work on Friday. We have always held the position that our staff has to report for duty every day because we are an essential service, much like the police and law enforcement,” said Karriem.