MedicalNews

KZN nurse killed in ambush

Durban – The murder of a Pietermaritzburg nurse at the weekend – taking the number of nurses killed in KwaZulu-Natal this year to five – was a loss not only for the health department, but also for the community he had served, the department said yesterday.
Edendale Hospital male nurse Mdu Ngubane was shot by unknown people, at Harewood, in the Caluza area of Pietermaritzburg on Saturday night.

His death remains a mystery since his white Opel Corsa bakkie was not taken during the incident. Family spokesperson Lindani Khanyile said they were still battling to come to terms with his death, as Ngubane was a good man and a dedicated nurse who served his community with a smile.

Khanyile said they were confused by Ngubane’s murder since his cellphone and all his belongings were found in the car.

His colleagues were greeted by a note informing them of his murder when they reported for duty at the hospital yesterday morning.

Ngubane, 41, who also ran a lift club, transporting workers from Liberty Mall home after the evening shift, was ambushed soon after dropping off his last passenger on Mbanjwa Road.

Khanyile said Ngubane was dedicated to studying further to advance his nursing career.

Originally from Imbali township, Ngubane was trained for enrolled nursing at Ceza hospital, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, in 2004.

He then worked his way up, completing a bridging course at Grey’s hospital in 2006, and graduated to a professional nurse in 2009. In 2008, he did a course in advanced accoucher (the male equivalent of midwifery) at King Edward VIII hospital, which he completed in February this year.

“He was excited about his graduation ceremony in October and it was all he talked about. He had invited me for the ceremony because I helped him with his studies. He was proud of himself and planned to celebrate his achievement,” said Khanyile.

Ngubane’s death was a loss for the department and the community he served, said Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu.

“In Ngubane, we have lost a person who was clearly not only committed to developing himself, but who also had a passion for helping other people. It is extremely unfortunate that he lost his life under such tragic circumstances.

“This is a huge loss to the department and the community. We are poorer without him. We send our deepest condolences to his family,” she said.

Ngubane’s killing was preceded by the discovery of the body of Edendale Hospital nurse Nontobeko Kheswa, 41, with multiple stab wounds in a sugarcane field on Otto’s Bluff Road, Claridge, on May 3. She was still clad in her white uniform.

Kheswa, a mother of four, left her Woodlands, Pietermaritzburg, home with her husband in their family car, en route to work. But she never got to work and her husband was later arrested and charged with her murder.

Nurse Mbalenhle Biyela, 28, was found dead in her car with multiple gunshot wounds outside Oakford Clinic in Verulam, north of Durban, in the same month.

Mahatma Gandhi Hospital nurse Barbara Haines, 34, was gunned down, allegedly by her partner, who then turned the gun on himself at their home in March.

In February, clinical associate student Sihle Sigwili was stabbed to death, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, at Rietvlei Hospital, Umzimkhulu.

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