Violent attacks and threats to staff at the Tafelsig health care facility have prompted authorities to fit a metal detector at the clinic's entrance to prevent people from bringing dangerous weapons into the building.
Staff say several patients and visitors were seen entering the clinic with guns, knives and other homemade weapons in recent months.
They say nurses and doctors have also been verbally, and in extreme cases physically abused by "impatient" patients and their families.
Two months ago a nurse was physically attacked by a patient at the Tafelsig clinic. The patient had apparently been waiting for hours to see a doctor and vented his frustrations by attacking the nurse.
She has since been moved to the Lentegeur clinic after applying to be transferred to another facility.
A staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said doctors and nurses often found guns and knives in patients' clothes while examining them.
The source said a nurse recently saw a long breadknife in a patient's pocket while attending to his wound.
"We fear for our lives when we report for duty. Anything can happen during the day. A patient may feel that he or she has waited too long for a doctor and could threaten us with whatever weapon they have.
The metal detector, which was fitted on Monday, was made available by local councillor and Mayco member Martin Fienies. He said the safety of doctors and nurses was his biggest concern.
He said it was not only patients and their families that entered the clinic with weapons; gangs were allegedly also "hanging around the clinic".
Gangsters apparently ran into the building with weapons when trying to escape police or during gang fights.
"After the first attack on the nurse there have been other incidents. We had several meetings with staff and local police and decided to get a metal detector.
Two permanent security guards have also been hired to secure the building and man the metal detector."
People start queuing outside the Tafelsig clinic from as early as 5am and may wait up to five hours to see a doctor. Staff say the long waiting period often sparks tension and violent outbursts.
Fienies said he was hoping to get metal detectors rolled out to health facilities across the metropole.
The city's health director Dr Ivan Bromfield said he was aware of the problems city health officials faced. He said at the Tafelsig clinic the facility manager was now trying to forge a closer relationship with the community.
Mitchells Plain police spokespereson Captain Harry Brickles told the Cape Argus they were aware of the situation at the clinic, but said they could not have a police vehicle stationed outside the building.
"Our resources are already stretched," said Brickles. "We appeal to staff and patients to call the police and report any incidents at the clinic."
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