• Tweet

 No matter how angry the communities are about their demands, there is no reason that anyone can give for stopping an ambulance 

RELATED ARTICLES

• Tragedy of SA motherhood
• Giving babies a chance to live
• Baby deaths signal that public hospitals are still in shambles
• Drive to get childhood diseases under control
• South Africa not moving fast enough to improve infant mortality

The events unfolded in Ganyesa on Wednesday.

Police said the ambulance and other vehicles providing services to the community were blocked from entering and leaving Ganyesa, which is 70km north of Vryburg in North West.

The protest action started on Monday with the community demanding that roads leading to the four villages be tarred.

The North West provincial health department confirmed the woman died at a local clinic in the morning.

Department spokesman Tebogo Lekgethwane said the woman went into labour at Kgokgojane Clinic near Ganyesa, where she waited for an ambulance that took two hours to arrive.

Lekgethwane said the woman suffered from a retained placenta during the final stages of labour and that resulted in excessive bleeding.

"Retained placenta is a condition in which all or part of the placenta or membranes are left behind in the uterus during the third stage of labour," he said.

The situation required emergency medical services and the woman needed to be transported urgently to Ganyesa District Hospital.

Lekgethwane said the clinic nurses managed to keep the baby alive and that the infant is in good health.

The protesters said they were promised a tarred road four years ago by the provincial department of local government.

Schools were also disrupted and pupils were forced to join and support the protest.

Police spokesman Brigadier Thulane Ngubane said police vehicles were stoned while shops belonging to Pakistani nationals were vandalised and looted.

Health MEC Magome Masike said he was saddened by the incident.

"We have been working very hard to reduce infant and maternal mortality in the province because we believe one maternal death is one too many.

"Reduction of maternal and infant mortality is one of our key priorities," he said. "It is also a key Millennium Development Goal and this latest incident has set us back in our quest to reduce maternal and infant mortality."

The MEC said: "As a department we render essential services, which are sometimes a matter of life and death, as proven by this case.

"No matter how angry the communities are about their demands, there is no reason that anyone can give in stopping an ambulance.

"We are deeply hurt by this loss and we share grief with the family of the deceased mother," he said.

Ngubane said the police were still monitoring the situation in eight villages around Ganyesa.

He said about 58 community members from different villages have been arrested and are expected to appear in the Ganyesa Magistrate's Court on charges of public violence, malicious damage to property and looting. - tsheheb@sowetan.co.za

Comments

• Sign in or sign up to comment

Sun May 26 07:39:45 SAST 2013 ::

May 11, 2012

madamx

Very sad.
May her soul rest in peace.
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

JUBJUB

This is very sad shame poor woman
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

Pabi

stupid protestors, how can they do that now this infant won't have mother love because of not thinking straight of them, don't they know the importance of ambulance?
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

Papage

Very sad indeed, It must be blamed on Government that has employed incopetent people. dont shift the blame to the protesters, it is your fault and you must carry the blame.
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

Mosquer

Ayi!!! Some people!!! Ge o ka kwa ba bolela mo blog-ng o tla re mangeloi
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

RobinH

This is not the first such incident. When will citizens respect the lives of their fellows? Obstructing an ambulance is inhumane. Shame on the people of Ganyesa! Shame on you.
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

MTHONDOMDE

Shame for the health deptment I wonder how do they feel now that the infant is an orphan, the poor state of our health system is failling us all R.I.P poor mother I can feel the pain you suffered.
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

Makatini

People lets stop moving the problem and look at the logic, even if we are protesting how can we stop emergence vehicles?
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

MGEEZ

This is traggic; what is becoming of our society?
Report Abuse

May 11, 2012

into2011

what can we say ke ba TSWANA bathp ba goba le di pelo tse maswe/mpi ke baloi dilo tseo. Noyana motho o elie ko bafung sies nxa .......
Report Abuse

Read all 48 comments