Gun-toting robbers have stepped up attacks on private doctors, and the Soweto Independent Practitioners Association has called for more proactive policing, saying there have been 10 armed robbery cases in local surgeries in the past five months, yet an absence of visible policing.
Spokesperson Brenda Sibeko said after Dr George Kokoba was killed at his practice in March, they had engaged with senior Gauteng police officials, but as yet, no tangible measures have been put in place. She said patients were also being affected by the crimes, with three being injured in June after robbers, pretending to be patients, walked into a surgery in Protea Glen and demanded cellphones and money from everyone inside the practice.
“A case was opened after Dr Thulani Tshabalala was attacked in that instance but no arrests have been recorded. And Dr Vusumuzi Nhlapo was shot in front of his patients in Jabulani,” she said.
The association said there is no direct line to the police patrolling affected areas and no visible policing, reports TimesLIVE.
“I have tried to get a direct emergency number from the local police station without success. The only thing I rely on is the security features I have added, but I don’t feel safe working in my own space.”
One suspect has been arrested in the Koboka murder case and will appear in the Orlando Magistrate’s Court on 8 September.
TimesLIVE article – Soweto doctors under siege with 10 armed robberies in five months (Open access)
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