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For the past two years, Marchand Clinic continues to be badly affected by ongoing theft and vandalism.

Fencing around the clinic is broken allowing easy access to the premises.

Soon after the staff lock up at the end of the day, the facility becomes a playground for children and after nightfall, it becomes a playground for criminals. Power cables get cut, burglar bars broken and equipment, like the air conditioning systems, are damaged and things get stolen.

To aggravate matters, the clinic regularly suffers from lack of running water, sometimes due to the theft and vandalism and other times due to poor municipal service delivery. Clinic personnel then have to carry buckets of water to enable them to render services.

Staff at the facility have already opened a number of cases with the SAPS and received CAS numbers but no arrests have been made as yet.

I have already been to the police captain at Augrabies to address the crime issues. I have also made pleas on the community’s social media pages for parents to keep their children away from the clinic.

The regional manager of the Health Department is aware of the problem, but nothing has been done to address the matter.

The DA will write to the MECs of Health and Roads and Public Works, asking that additional security measures urgently be considered before there is nothing left of Marchand Clinic.

Issued by Ralph Cloete, Cllr - Kai !Garib municipality