During a march to the hospital organised by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Friday, the deputy regional chairperson, Austin Mabasa, demanded that the MEC for Health, Phophi Ramathuba, should resign from her position for allegedly firing three doctors at the hospital and opening police cases against certain employees for taking pictures of the dirty hospital.

“If you are a leader and someone tells you that there are cockroaches in the hospital, you cannot try to cover it up by coming here and taking pictures of how clean the facilities are,” said Mabasa. The EFF also wants all acting managers to be instated permanently or removed. “Everything about the hospital is falling apart because there are no permanent managers to make proper decisions,” he said.

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“After giving birth, women are forced to lay on the floor because the hospital does not have beds, yet we have a woman as acting CEO at the hospital, what exactly is your job?” he asked Sonia Mabunda, acting CEO, who received the memorandum. “It is not acceptable that the hospital is collapsing to the point that there are no light bulbs in the toilets,” he continued, calling for her removal as well.

Some of the demands of the EFF include the employment of more nurses, doctors, and groundsmen to keep the hospital clean. The EFF also wants parking fees for employees to be scrapped as well as the provision of warm water for all patients. “It is unthinkable that patients have to bath in cold water when you have free electricity that you do not even pay for, what is your job as management?” he asked.

Mabasa said the EFF would return in seven days to check if its demands had been addressed. If not, he said they would close the hospital. Mabunda received the memorandum and promised to respond within seven days as requested. The Herald reached out to Niel Shikwambana, media liaison for the department of Health, for comment on the matter. He undertook to consult with the relevant stakeholders and provide feedback. The Herald will publish the comments when received.