Rampant criminals have escalated their attacks on rural clinics in Limpopo, as another incident at a far-flung facility leaves two nurses injured.
This after two armed men invaded the Mashamba Clinic outside Thohoyandou, pretending to be bringing a patient.
It is reported that two attackers approached the facility in the Vhembe District on Saturday night, 15 March 2025, under the pretence of bringing in a patient in order to gain access.
While the female security officer was trying to open the main gate, the intruders threatened her with a firearm and forced her to the ground. They demanded that she give them a firearm, which the officer said was inside the clinic.
Meanwhile, the male security officer, who was inside the clinic, heard the commotion and stepped toward the gate. Realising the danger posed by the armed criminals, he quickly returned to the clinic and helped the nurses to hide in a safe area at the back of the facility.
One nurse was injured while attempting to escape through the clinic’s palisade fence and another one sustained injury to her mouth while trying to find cover.
The attackers fled to the bush without taking anything as the security personnel managed to contact the nearby police.
The Limpopo Health Spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said the clinic attack is a growing concern and it has been an issue for so long.
“The increasing number of criminal activities against rural health care facilities is a growing concern, and they underscore the critical need for safety and security with health care facilities which are dedicated to providing essential services,” Shikwambana said.
The Limpopo Health spokesperson added that the Mashamba Clinic will temporarily stop from operating 24 hours to allow the medical staff to recuperate from this attack.
The MK Party’s Limpopo Coordinator, Tshilidzi Maraga, also condemned the attack and called on Premier Phophi Ramathuba to swiftly address the attacks that have befallen to rural clinics.
“We are calling on the premier to insource security services and equip them with skills that would make them competent to tackle these attacks” Maraga said.
