Police lose docket for malicious damage to Joburg Hospital

26 May 2021

There will be no prosecution for malicious damage to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital (CMJH) in April 2018 as the docket has mysteriously gone missing at the Hillbow Police lose docket for malicious damage to Joburg Hospital row Police Station.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Nomathemba Mokgethi in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to Mokgethi, a charge of public violence and a charge of malicious damage to property were laid at the Hillbrow Police Station following the vandalism of employees at the CMJH during an illegal strike in April 2018.

The public violence case was returned from court in July 2018, and it is still undergoing a court process.

According to the computer record, however, the case of malicious damage to property has been closed, and “the reason for closing the case was not determined as it was recorded in a paper-based docket which apparently went missing because it was not found when hospital security personnel requested to obtain its copy.”

This withdrawal of the case is outrageous as it was estimated that R3 million in damages was caused, and former Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi described it as “pure hooliganism”.

Forty employees were recently disciplined by the hospital and found guilty for this incident. They were given two months suspension without pay and a final written warning.

These employees will now escape the criminal charge of malicious damage because of police incompetence.

I will be asking further questions as to why this docket went missing as there should be severe consequences for those who violently trashed this hospital.

Issued by Jack Bloom, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health, 26 May 2021