The Retreat Community Health Centre in Cape Town’s southern suburbs has reopened after a temporary lockdown last week triggered by a fatal shooting directly outside the medical facility, reports the Cape Argus.
The violent incident unfolded late on the Sunday afternoon, a stone’s throw from the clinic.
Western Cape South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Captain Wesley Twigg said officers had responded to reports of gunfire and discovered four victims at the scene: one man was dead, while three others, aged between 16 and 21, were seriously injured and needed immediate emergency care.
Twigg said preliminary reports indicated that the victims were standing on the road when gunmen in an unidentified vehicle opened fire on them.
Public access to the area was temporarily halted.
The Department of Health and Wellness immediately activated safety protocols, placing the Retreat Community Health Centre under lockdown to ensure the protection of both staff and patients, with individuals requiring emergency care being re-routed to nearby 24-hour medical facilities.
The centre has now reopened its doors.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Cape clinic staff fed up with safety issues
Violence turning the Western Cape into a ‘war-zone’
Police officer and two patients dead after Cape Town hospital shooting