“We need our community and stakeholders to support us in ensuring our staff and patients are safe to access healthcare services.”
This is the call from the provincial health department after the Aan Het Pad Clinic in Cloetesville temporarily closed its doors as a result of ongoing violence in the neighbourhood. All patients of the local clinic will now become patients of Cloetesville Community Day Centre (CDC).
Departmental spokesperson Nadia Ferreira said existing scheduled appointments at the Aan Het Pad clinic will not be changed. Patients keep all their existing appointments, including follow-up blood tests and doctors visits, but they should report to the Cloetesville CDC.
Those collecting chronic medication must do so at the Eikestad Hall.
The change in venue comes after days of shootings in Cloetesville. Three children, one of whom died, and an adult were shot between Thursday 4 and Sunday 7 December.
Ferreira explained closing the clinic is the most effective way to keep staff and patients safe, and teams would assess options going forward.
In terms of long-term safety measures a “whole-of-society approach” is needed to address the safety concerns, she added.
“The clinic closure doesn’t just relate to the shootings in the street and the danger of stray bullets; there have been many instances where staff members and contractors or suppliers are robbed and threatened immediately outside the clinic. Our staff are regularly threatened with violence inside the clinic.”
The Koelenhof Mobile Clinic, which operated out of Aan Het Pad Clinic, will now operate from Ida’s Valley Clinic.
The dates for the mobile clinic are unchanged. “We apologise for any inconvenience and teething problems that may occur as we put these emergency measures into action at such short notice. We are confident the clinic operations will be ironed out shortly.”
The clinic will remain closed for the rest of December as well as January 2026.
