The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) condemns in the strongest terms the barbaric and inhumane act perpetrated against two nurses at the Chuene Clinic outside Polokwane last night. According to reports, the nurses were abducted after an armed bandit overpowered security at the clinic and abducted two nurses who were subjected to the heinous crime of rape in a nearby bush.
This vile attack is a direct assault not only on the victims but on the entire healthcare sector, which is the backbone of our community’s well-being. It sends a chilling and terrifying message to nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers that they are vulnerable targets while performing their critical duties.
SAFTU and other organisations have long advocated for clinics to remain open throughout the night to provide much-needed community services. This horrific incident undermines these efforts and reinforces the perception that health workers are sitting ducks for criminals. It is an affront to our collective humanity and to the very principle of care and compassion that these workers represent.
This attack is not isolated. It follows other violent incidents, such as the shooting of a municipal worker reconnecting water in Umlazi in December. In both cases, workers providing essential services have been targeted. Similarly, ambulance drivers and healthcare workers responding to emergencies have previously been ambushed, robbed, and even raped. These despicable acts highlight the lawlessness and disregard for human life and dignity that have taken root in our society.
Even in war zones, where chaos and violence reign, healthcare workers are spared as a matter of principle and humanity—except in instances of atrocities like those committed in the ethnic cleansing by the Israeli forces in the Middle East. It is an indictment of our society that criminals here lack even this fundamental respect for the sanctity of life.
We call on the police to act with urgency and determination. They must leave no stone unturned in tracking down and apprehending the perpetrators of this heinous crime against the nurses in Polokwane. Additionally, we demand that the police bring to justice the criminal who shot at the municipal worker in Umlazi.
SAFTU urges the government to prioritise the safety of all workers, particularly those in essential services, by ensuring that adequate security measures are implemented. It is unacceptable that healthcare workers, ambulance drivers, and municipal employees continue to risk their lives while serving the public.
We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families and call on communities to unite in rejecting and combating the criminality that endangers the lives of those who dedicate themselves to serving others.
