Selfless doctor recovering from taxi violence attack

Dr Irwin Krombein (72) had worked in underprivileged Cape Town communities for decades, but that meant nothing to the mob of angry young men who stoned his car amidst the Cape Town taxi strike, leaving him with a hole in his skull that will need to be repaired using 3D printing technology.

The taxi strike lasted from 3 to 10 August, bringing the Mother City to a standstill and leading to widespread suffering across the metropole. Five lives were lost in opportunistic violence, and it’s a miracle that Krombein’s life was not added to that list.

“The people throwing stones, their intention wasn’t to damage my car but to hit me and kill me. This is obvious because the back of the car wasn’t touched, but the front windows were smashed by rocks and a brick. They also tried to break the windscreen but failed. They were vicious.” A bus was set alight on the same day and the same road as the one where Krombein was attacked.

Krombein, a Herzlia and University of Cape Town alumnus, says he went to work on Monday, 7 August, in the middle of the strike, believing there was no reason not to go, even though patients later told him that their own doctors hadn’t come into work which was why they were visiting him. He has been doing locum work as a general practitioner and family physician for 15 years at a medical facility in Mitchell’s Plain. For 30 years, he had his own practice in Bonteheuwel. On this particular day, he had a three-hour shift in the morning and another three-hour shift in the afternoon.

Between the two shifts, he set off for his regular kidney dialysis. “I came to a police roadblock and they directed me to go back to Mitchell’s Plain. I did so, and my GPS then directed me on an alternative route towards town, onto Govan Mbeki Drive. I soon saw rocks, burning tyres, and possibly a burned-out car. I saw one guy come towards me with a rock, and yelled “Stop!”, which he did. But after that, I was like a fish to a shark. Others came and pelted my car with brick-sized rocks and a brick.”

Krombein was unaware that he had been struck on the head, and managed to keep driving to a police roadblock, where his car was towed. His memories are hazy, but at some point, his car key was stolen in the chaos. He was taken home, and convinced his wife to take him to his dialysis. But when he got there, the doctor advised him to go to hospital, which he did.

“I had x-rays which showed I had a depressed comminuted skull fracture. This means the bone has broken into pieces and displaces inwards. These injuries usually result from blunt-force trauma. I was admitted, and saw a neurosurgeon. I was taken to theatre the next morning, where they did their best to clean the wound, but it was contaminated with dirt and so on.”

He was in hospital for a few days and has since been at home. He has had his stitches out and the next step is more x-rays, after which doctors will use 3D printing technology to fill the gap in his skull. He says he hasn’t felt much pain as the medication he has been given has been sufficient.

He plans to return to work soon. “I don’t scare easily. Everything is quiet on the Western front, so I will return.” He will go in an Uber as he now doesn’t have a car, and hopes to resume his normal routine. However, he admits to being more disillusioned with the country than before the incident, as is his wife. He believes the attack was a “very bad signal” of simmering anger under the surface of South African society that erupts in moments of disquiet.

Born and raised in Cape Town, Krombein first went into pharmacy, but then switched to medicine, getting his medical degree in 1975 and doing his internship at Groote Schuur Hospital. For the next nine years, he worked at various hospitals. He also spent a year as a radiology registrar at the University of the Witwatersrand.

In 1985, he opened his practice in Bonteheuwel, which he had for three decades. In 2005, he obtained a Masters’ Degree in Family Medicine from the University of Stellenbosch, which was awarded with honours. He was a part-time member of staff of the department of family medicine at the University of Stellenbosch from 2003 until 2006, and served as a tutor and examiner of third and final-year students.

He has also worked part-time for the outpatient and emergency departments of various Cape Town hospitals, and in England as a resident medical officer. He spent six years practicing in Ireland from 2007 until 2012, gaining experience in emergency after-hours medicine as well as general practice and family medicine.

“I’ve known Irwin since nursery school,” says fellow Capetonian Gilad Stern. “He’s been my oldest friend since the age of four. At university, he had a broad range of friends from all backgrounds, and he’s had a practice for many years in an underprivileged area. He’s dedicated to his patients and their health. I’ve seen him get people admitted to hospital when circumstances were difficult. He’s very thorough, always taking the time and the trouble, even if they don’t have the money to do basic tests.”

Stern was shocked by the news of Krombein’s attack. He says his friend went through a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has had a tough time with his health, but has bounced back after every hurdle.

“He continues to practice in his 70s. He’s done it with dedication and commitment for all these years. It’s admirable.”