Members of the Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (Ynitu) caused havoc and blockaded entrances of the Department of Health as they demanded MEC Phophi Ramathuba’s attention during a lunchtime march to the departmental headquarters on Monday.
The group of more than 500 unemployed nurses from the province and as far as Gauteng and Free State is demanding the MEC’s removal, immediate absorption of community service professional nurses and employment of qualified nurses to assist in curbing the high nurse to patient ratio the province is experiencing. The protesters refused to hand over copies of the memorandum to the Chief Director for Human Resource Development, Mikateko Tlakulo as they demanded Ramathuba’s attention.
On Tuesday, union President Lerato Madumo stressed that they could not hand over copies of the memorandum to the department because Ramathuba did not pitch. She said they waited for the MEC for hours but she did not make herself available until the end of business. Madumo stressed that while they were still waiting outside the premises, the Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. According to her, scores of protesters suffered minor injuries while three others had to spend a night at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital with serious injuries.
Madumo added that they are planning to approach Premier Stan Mathabatha to seek his intervention before escalating the matter to national government as she alleged that Ramathuba was incompetent: “Ramathuba has dismally failed the health fraternity in the province. She did not deserve a second term after countless atrocities she has committed in Limpopo. She has ignored some of the most down trodden communities and subjected them to unnecessary untimely deaths and adverse events by failing to employ adequate staff after using tax payers’ money to train them.”
Madumo added that the union cannot sit back and watch the healthcare system continue to be butchered by those who have to protect, promote and uphold its principles of excellence and integrity and to ensure that everyone access quality health care. It can’t be business as usual while Ramathuba and her cronies are busy normalising the release of trained health professionals in the midst of an ailing health care system in the province with acutely gross shortage of nurses, Madumo explained. She concluded by saying Limpopo communities are severely under serviced and the continued uncaring behaviour by the authorities have serious negative implications on the healthcare service delivery in the province.
Departmental spokesperson Neil Shikwambana confirmed that unemployed nurses came to hand a memorandum to the department and reiterated that their permit to be at the gate was until 14:00. He added that the crowd arrived on time and demanded that the MEC come and receive the memorandum. According to to Shikwambana, the MEC was attending the African National Congress Lekgotla in Bela-Bela together with the Head of Department and Deputy Directors-General. She however delegated Tlakula to receive the memorandum on her behalf, he stated.
“The protesters started unleashing epithets saying they could not hand over a memorandum to a ‘cleaner’ as they want the MEC. It was made clear that the Chief Director was acting at the behest of the MEC and she would immediately pass on the memorandum to the MEC and the Executive Management. Some of the protesters decided to stay until knock off time. Just before 16:30, they blockaded all entrances and exits of the department effectively besieging all employees and holding them hostage. For almost an hour, while Police were trying to reason with the blockaders, employees could not go fetch their kids from schools and run pressing errands,” Shikwambana said.
According to him, the Police had to protect the rights of employees by ensuring that those who were illegally camping at the gate of the department and holding employees hostage were removed. He concluded by saying protests are encouraged but criminality and rowdiness must be countered with the full might of the law.
Story: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za
