Eight years after Limpopo-based medical doctor Dumisani Chauke was sentenced to an effective eight-year imprisonment for raping a 17-year-old patient during consultation, a similar incident raised its head over this past weekend.
This incident happened at the George Masebe Hospital outside Mokopane in the Waterberg area.
According to a police statement, the alleged rape took place on April 27 inside a sonar room, where the patient was undergoing an abdominal ultrasound as part of routine pregnancy monitoring.
Traumatised patient reported incident to staff
The traumatised 22-year-old patient immediately reported the incident to other healthcare staff, who alerted the police. A case of rape has since been opened, but the suspect has not yet been arrested.
Acting Provincial Police Commissioner, Major General Samuel Manala, has ordered a full and thorough investigation.
Limpopo Health MEC, Dieketseng Mashego, has since confirmed the doctor’s suspension.
“The department is treating the matter with the utmost seriousness pending further investigations.”
The Bolsheviks Party of South Africa (BPSA) has expressed its profound outrage over the incident. The party is regarding the incident as a disturbing pattern of sexual violence within Limpopo’s healthcare system. This highlights systemic failures in protecting patients and ensuring accountability, it said.
Bolsheviks Party condemns incident
“It is for this reason we call upon the MEC for Health, Dieketseng Mashego, and the Premier of Limpopo, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, to take immediate action to dismantle the culture of impunity within the department and to ensure that those who betray the trust of the public are held accountable,” said the secretary general of BPSA, Seun Mogotji
“Apart from the 2017 incident in Tzaneen and this current one, there was another related incident in 2016. A doctor at Lebowakgomo Hospital outside Polokwane was accused of raping a teenager during a consultation. The department’s response was to suspend the accused with full pay, pending investigation. A practice that undermines accountability and sends a dangerous message to both victims and perpetrators.”
