Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za
3-minute read
27 November 2025

SAMA urges urgent action after a doctor and companion were brutally attacked at Rietvlei Hospital, exposing critical security failures. 📷 Image: File photo / The Mercury

A disturbing incident at Rietvlei Hospital in Umzimkhulu in southern KwaZulu-Natal has prompted the South African Medical Association (SAMA) to call for immediate intervention, following the brutal stabbing of a doctor and his female companion inside the hospital’s residential quarters. Even more alarming is that the alleged perpetrator is believed to be a supervisor employed by the hospital’s outsourced security provider.

Speaking to Radio Islam International, SAMA’s Dr Zanele Bikitsha condemned the attack as “gruesome” and “unacceptable,” highlighting broader systemic failures in vetting, screening and regulating contracted security personnel.
“You might not have a criminal record, but there should also be psychometric assessments because these are people you’re trusting to look after other people,” she stressed, warning that current outsourcing practices create inconsistent standards across hospitals.

Dr Bikitsha confirmed that the suspect held a position of authority within the security company. “Somebody in high standing, a supervisor,” she noted, raising serious questions about how an armed attack could occur under the watch of someone responsible for maintaining safety.

Beyond the immediate shock, SAMA warns this is part of a growing national trend of violence against healthcare workers. “You cannot have in a workplace where you are meant to be safe, where you are trying to save lives, and then you are attacked,” Bikitsha said. She cited recent incidents in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Limpopo where staff were threatened or assaulted, including cases involving firearms.

According to SAMA, multiple failures converged at Rietvlei Hospital: inadequate screening of security staff, a lack of proper searches at entry points, a neglected risk-assessment process, poor lighting, insufficient cameras, and an understaffed security presence. “The actual risk assessment needs to be redone. They are lacking in a lot of security measures,” Bikitsha explained.

The consequences extend far beyond physical injury. SAMA warns the profession is already seeing young doctors withdrawing from public service once independent, while nurses increasingly refuse night shifts out of fear. “People are going to start not wanting to go into areas they feel are not safe,” she said.

SAMA has written to the National Department of Health, calling for immediate national safety standards, uniform criteria for security contractors and a countrywide reassessment of hospital risk profiles. The organisation has also raised concerns about the hospital CEO’s response, noting that provincial leadership had not been informed of the incident.

If conditions do not improve, SAMA says it will advise that interns not be placed at unsafe facilities. “One of the basics is that you will provide me a safe working condition,” Bikitsha emphasised.

She urged communities to stand with healthcare workers: “These are their hospitals, if we don’t feel safe there, where are they going to get help?”

Listen to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up with Annisa Essack and Dr Zanele Bikitsha.