SANDF deployment to hospitals goes ahead despite latest court order against Nehawu

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has deployed military healthcare practitioners from its health services to supplement skeleton staff at hospitals affected by the ongoing public sector strike.

The Department of Health (DOH) requested assistance for additional staff in the wake of strike action by workers affiliated with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu).

“The military healthcare practitioners were deployed on Wednesday, 8 March 2023, to hospitals as determined by the DOH and will remain deployed as may be required,” said the SANDF.

ALSO WATCH: Hospital patients sent home as Nehawu strike gets violent [LIVE]

No assurances strike will end

The National Disaster Management Act of 2002 allows the SANDF personnel to be deployed to an organ of the state to provide relief for emergency services.

While the Labour Appeal Court in Johannesburg on Monday morning interdicted Nehawu’s strike action, effectively ordering its members to return to their posts, Health Department spokesperson, Foster Mohale, told The Citizen that military deployment will go ahead.

“We cannot be certain that they [Nehawu] won’t appeal this again, so we will only stop the deployment once we have proper resolution to this,” explained Mohale.

ALSO READ: Court rejects Nehawu’s application to appeal government strike interdict

The union is demanding a 10% wage increase, while government is offering 4.7%, after several years of no increases being given.

Violent nature of strike divides opinions

The ruling comes as thousands of Nehawu members vowed to intensify their industrial action, which has been marked by violence and intimidation of non-striking workers.

SANDF members manned entry points to the Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital in Ekurhuleni when Health Minister Joe Phaahla visited the facility on Monday morning.

The minister has since linked the deaths of at least four patients to the strike, and the department said operations at Thelle Mogoerane are still affected by the low turnout of employees.

Health workers’ plight for an increased wage has rubbed some disgruntled residents and health care staff up the wrong way.

ALSO READ: ‘They’ll never get it’ – Nehawu’s strike in quest for 10% raise ‘pure foolishness’

Last week, residents in Coronationville in Johannesburg chased away picketing Nehawu members from the Rahima Moosa hospital, who tried to block access to the facility with rocks and burning tyres.

And, in Mpumalanga, the Provincial Health Department is investigating an incident in which a doctor was accosted by protestors and manhandled while at work. The altercation was caught on camera and posted on social media.

Additional reporting by Faizel Patel

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