Two had amputations performed.
“It’s either they’re amputated or the whole body rots,” says the senior staff member. Also, there were two people who suffered severe burns, 13 who had multiple fractures and two who are now paraplegics after bullets lodged in their spines.
As a result of the increasing number of casualties, some staff members have had to work two consecutive shifts at a time.
At RFM Hospital, 11 people brought in with gunshot wounds died, 78 were seen and discharged, and 18 more with severe injuries were admitted. Some of the people who died at the hospital, according to Makhanya, include Thando Mvubu, an adult man whose skull was destroyed by a gunshot; a 36-year-old woman from Logoba, Nonhle Matsebula, who was also shot in the head; and Mbongiseni Gamedze, who was shot on the left side of the face.