The DA says JMPD officers risk their lives daily to protect the city, yet are left without support when they need it most.
Political parties in the City of Johannesburg have expressed anger at the city’s inability to pay its debts.
This comes after a Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) officer was denied medical attention at the Netcare Milpark Hospital on Wednesday.
The officer who had suffered a gunshot wound was denied medical attention because the City of Johannesburg owes the private hospital more than R35 million.
Although JMPD officers are expected to have personal medical aid, the municipality has an arrangement with Netcare Milpark Hospital to provide emergency treatment for officers injured while on duty.
JMPD officer in ICU
ActionSA’s Sarah Wissler told The Citizen on Friday that she was horrified when she learnt of the incident.
“I was horrified to learn that a Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) officer — shot in the line of duty — was denied urgent, life-saving treatment at Netcare Millpark Hospital.
“The reason? The City of Johannesburg owes the facility more than R35 million,” she said.
Wissler said the officer is now fighting for his life in intensive care at Netcare Alberton Hospital after being taken from one hospital to the next.
“Because of this unresolved debt, the officer was refused emergency medical attention and transferred to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, where he waited for hours before being stabilised.
“He is now in ICU, fighting for his life. This is an unforgivable betrayal of those who risk their lives to keep our city safe.”
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Wissler demands answers on the Milpark incident
Wissler is the chairperson of the portfolio committee on Public Safety.
She told The Citizen that she had demanded a full report concerning this incident.
“As chairperson of the Section 79 Public Safety Committee, I cannot accept that our officers, our first responders, are being treated as expendable due to the city’s gross financial mismanagement.
“These are men and women who face danger daily. Is this how we thank them?” she said.
‘Inability to provide basic responsibilities’
Meanwhile, the DA’s Micheal Sun has also expressed outrage at the incident.
However, he blamed the current ruling coalition in the City of Johannesburg for its lack of proper governance.
“How many times must our public servants suffer because of government failures? The ANC-EFF-ActionSA coalition’s inability to prioritise basic responsibilities is putting lives at risk. This isn’t just incompetence, it’s a betrayal of the people who keep Joburg safe,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wissler said the City of Johannesburg should start collecting enough revenue to service its debts.
“In the council meeting that we had earlier this week, it was discussed that we need to prioritise critical payments. We actually sent a press statement where we told the city that they cannot just keep loaning money from different people when we are not doing adequate collection. The thing is, these are unfunded loans, they are not funded,” she said,
Recently, there were reports of the city having problems paying its car rental company, Afrirent. This company also provides cars for JMPD.
The company had threatened to take its cars if the city had not paid its debt.
But Wissler said this matter was resolved.
The Citizen contacted the City of Johannesburg’s Group Communication Services and the MMC for Finance, Margaret Arnolds, for comment. However, no response had been received by the time of publication.
The Citizen also reached out to JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla, but he had not responded to questions by the time of publication.
All comments will be added to this story when received.
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