Sterkfontein CEO responds to totally uncalled for protest
We have a very strong committee dealing with all the Covid-19 situations. We make sure our staff is informed about everything that is going on
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sterkfontein Psychiatric Hospital, Jimmy Mapunya, spoke to News editor Janine Viljoen about the protest action at the facility yesterday, 19 May, which he said “… took us by surprise”.
Read initial article here:
https://www.citizen.co.za/krugersdorp-news/435509/sterkfontein-staff-upset-about-current-covid-cases-and-demand-answers/
Early yesterday morning, nurses and staff at the hospital started protesting outside the main gate about what was believed to be their concerns about the hospital’s Covid-19 cases.
A nurse at the hospital, who spoke to Viljoen while the protest was in full swing, stated that they were upset that hospital management had kept information about the infections from them, and that they feared falling ill.
The nurse asked to remain anonymous. Mapunya responded by saying the nurse was being untruthful and that all protocols were being followed, as outlined by the District, after one staff member tested positive for Covid-19.
“We have a very strong committee dealing with all the Covid-19 situations. We make sure our staff is informed about everything that is going on. We send out weekly newsletters, and even had a mass screening and testing initiative last week,” Mapunya said.
He also cleared up why the staff members were so unhappy.
According to a WhatsApp message sent by a National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) member, titled NEHAWU Sterkies Update, the staff had some grievances which were not being dealt with.
The messages, which were forwarded to Viljoen, stated that staff were victimised by management, and that they also had a list of demands for management to address.
Among the demands is that the CEO, the Human Resources Manager and the Cooperative Manager be fired. The message encouraged union members to, at 6am, report at the main gate of the hospital, which would then be closed so that no one could enter or exit – not even the night staff after their shift change at 7am.
Mapunya said they were unaware that the main gate was being blocked, but when they realised what was happening, the police were called in to assist.
The Provincial Police spokesperson, Captain Kay Makhubela confirmed that police were monitoring the situation and that one person had been arrested for public violence.
When protesters started throwing stones at a doctor’s vehicle, police dispersed them by firing rubber bullets, which Makhubela also confirmed. Mapunya concluded by saying the situation was ongoing and that meetings with the union would determine the next step, adding that his patients, their safety and the safety of his staff remained his top priority.
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