“You have shown the power of the people by closing all the hospitals,” provincial secretary of the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union of the Western Cape Baxolise Mali told striking Nehawu members on Wednesday. “Employers say people die. It’s not our responsibility to keep people alive.
Mali spoke to strikers outside Khayelitsha District Hospital in Cape Town, as members of Nehawu continued a wage strike that has disrupted hospitals and government offices across the country.
The government thinks the wage negotiations for 2022 will be over but Nehawu and some other unions are still demanding up to 12%.
A police presence outside the hospital has deterred protesters, hospital chief executive David Binza said. He said the situation was “better than yesterday”, when it was “bad”.
Binza said services at the hospital had been severely affected by Monday’s attack.
The protesters prevented people from entering and exiting the hospital. Staff have ended up working 24 hours because there are not enough nurses to make up for it, and there is a shortage of nurses in the maternity ward. “Yesterday they prevented the night staff from getting access to the facility. Most of the doctors were allowed in. The doctors just couldn’t function properly,” he said.
On Wednesday, the situation had improved, he said, because the police had arrived early and kept the protesters away from the hospital.
Western Cape health spokesman Mark van der Heever said shift changes at the hospital were being closely monitored after critical patients had to be transferred to other hospitals such as Helderberg, Tygerberg, Mitchells Plain and Karl Bremer.
“On Tuesday night, March 7, protesters disrupted services and prevented staff from entering the Khayelitsha District Hospital until 11pm. The ongoing disruption led to staff shortages due to denied entry, delays and other operational challenges.
He said protests had been reported at Karl Bremer and Tygerberg hospitals, but services were not disrupted.
Mali said Nehawu’s intention was to “collapse government service providers” to force the government to the negotiating table. “Our tactics include closing the workplace, to force workers to leave and turn off their computers.”
The office of the department of housing affairs in Khayelitsha is closed. Luthando Tiso said he had been going to Khayelitsha home affairs to collect identity documents since Monday. “I can’t work without an ID card,” he said.
In the city centre, the housing affairs office in Barrack Street and the department of labor office were closed and there was a heavy police presence.
One man said he had been to the Mitchells Plain department of labor office on Monday and Tuesday only to find it closed due to a strike, and had come to Cape Town hoping for help. “I really have to claim from the Unemployment Insurance Fund. I lost my job in January. My children’s rent and school fees are gone,” he said.
East Cape
In the Eastern Cape, health department spokeswoman Yonela Dekeda said hospitals were run by skeleton staff.
“We had an incident this morning when striking workers blocked the entrance to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in East London. But the police were called to remove it.
Dekeda said the unions not supporting the strike action raised concerns that their members would be intimidated and denied access to the workplace.
“We appreciate the responsible store attendants who have called on their members to order, if necessary, and ensure that critical services continue and patients receive the care they need,” he said. “However, we take very seriously any employee who intimidates others, and causes services to be negatively affected.
“Appropriate action will be taken in all such incidents, and law enforcement agencies are assigned.”
At the Laetitia Bam Day Hospital in KwaNobuhle, Kariega, the deputy secretary of Nehawu Eastern Cape, Busiswa Stokwe told about 100 workers on strike: “We know that we will be attacked even in the community, accused of not caring for patients. But the same community when you do your work 10 people, when you’re four, will insult you, say you’re lazy. We have to be first.”
A patient who did not want to give his name said he had come at 5am to have three teeth removed but had been told to leave by striking workers at 7am. home with toothache.
“We were about 10 and did not have money to remove teeth at a private doctor, who charged R350 per tooth,” he said.
Gauteng
In Tshwane, striking workers shut down the offices of the department of public services and administration, shouting and insulting some of the workers inside the office.
There was a stand-off between the striking workers and the police, as the workers blocked Hamilton and Edmond Streets with huge rocks and turned cars away. The police moved the workers.
Phumuzo Malahleni, a clerk in the agriculture department, said his salary of R12 000 a month was too little to cope with the rising cost of living. “As civil servants, we cannot pay anything. Violence and taking to the streets is the only language the government understands.
Nehawu Gauteng provincial chairperson Mzikayise Tshontshi says the fight for salary increases is far from over.
He said Nehawu had been invited to the Public Sector Consultative Council on Thursday. “Our negotiators will be there, but others will continue to shut down public services.
“We believe that our strike has been very successful. From Monday to today the number has increased. Tomorrow we want to expand the strike,” said Tshontshi.
Addressing the crowd outside the department, Tshontshi called out to those still working.
“We also know about ‘amagundwane’ [rats]. Some are sitting in a cozy office, and then when we win this war they will be the first in line because they think they deserve what we have fought for. In every struggle there is always a traitor; this is no different.”
At Tembisa hospital, striking workers blocked the entrance with burning tires and debris while chanting slogans. Calm was later restored.
Free State
Free State health spokesperson Mondli Mvambi said the province had obtained a ban on Wednesday morning to prevent attackers from disrupting services at hospitals and clinics. “The order does not stop the strike but stops acts of intimidation, violence, harassment and instigating.”
Mvambi said the hardest hit hospitals were the National District Hospital, University, Pelonomi and the Medical Depot in Bloemfontein. “There are no nurses working and patient care is seriously compromised.” Mvambi said calm has been restored but services remain strained as nurses are still off duty.
“In Manapo in QwaQwa they don’t allow nurses to enter the hospital. In Boitumelo in Kroonstad, pickets are singing at the gate but services will continue. In Pelonomi Hospital, nurses in the ICU were forced out by the attackers.
North West
In the North West, the services of at least six hospitals were disrupted due to the attack: Klerksdorp-Tshepong, Potchefstroom, Taung District, Moses Kotane, Ganyesa District, and Gelukspan. There were pickets outside several other clinics and hospitals.
Mpumalanga
In Mpumalanga, spokesperson Christopher Nobela said all health facilities have been affected and hospitals are working with skeleton staff in hospitals.
Limpopo
Limpopo health spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said, “So far there have been no reports of outages at any facility.”
KwaZulu-Natal
Workers stopped work at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban for several hours on Wednesday morning, singing outside the hospital. Patients are allowed to enter.
Nehawu branch secretary Sikhumbuzo Gumbi said the workers decided to return to work during the day so they could help patients. “As workers, we decided to protest in the morning and then see patients in the afternoon.”
Gumbi said staff would continue to protest in the morning until the strike ends.
Prince Mthalane, Nehawu’s Durban regional secretary, said clinics had been closed in KwaMashu and at the Polyclinic workers were burning tires. The police have been called but the workers have spoken to them and no arrests have been made.
“The goal is to make a peaceful strike,” he said.
GroundUp health department spokespeople in KwaZulu-Natal or the Northern Cape could not be reached.
“Innocent patients have been caught and made uncomfortable by something that has nothing to do with them,” said national health spokesperson Foster Mohale. He said the health minister asked the police minister to strengthen the police presence in the areas affected by the attacks.
“The skeleton staff is also available to provide care to patients who cannot be discharged,” Mohale said.
South African Police Union spokesperson Lesiba Thobakgale said the union had joined Nehawu in the protest. “As Sapu, from today we have given notice of strike and we are joining other unions,” said Thobakgale.
This story was produced by Vincent Lali, Chris Gilili, Liezl Human, Tariro Washinyira, Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik, Thamsanqa Mbovane, and Mkhuseli Sizani
This story was first published by GroundUp.