The Barberton General Hospital jobs for pals saga continues to deepen with new claims that a worker at the public institution has been suspended for allegedly leaking information to the media.

Vusi Mlambo was suspended on Monday May 5, a day before his four colleagues who were part of the interviewing panel allegedly implicated in the jobs for pals scheme, appeared before the internal disciplinary hearing.

The case against Sunday Myeni and Muzi Shongwe of National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), Thembi Zulu (Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa) and Edna Godi of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, who have been on suspension since last October, was postponed to May 22.

Ronnie Masilela, spokesman for the department of health and owners of the hospital, confirmed the suspension of Mlambo. “It is true that one of our officials at the hospital has been suspended for contravening one of our internal policies. The department reached the decision to suspend him as his presence at work may jeopardise any investigation into the allegations the official is implicated in,” said Masilela.

He declined to specify the charges Mlambo was suspended for. “All I can say for now is that the official was suspended on Monday and I can’t go into details except that we have many internal policies applied to all workers and the official contravened one of them,” added Masilela.

Mlambo was among the workers at the hospital who were vocal during the allegedly irregular employment of 38 general workers.

Sources at the hospital say his suspension was nothing more than an attempt to victimise him. “Everyone here at the hospital suspected of leaking information to the media, is a target of senior officials. The appointment of the workers was illegal and none of us felt comfortable about it. Everyone is being questioned to find out who leaked the information.”

Mlambo was apparently questioned by senior officials on several occasions. “He denied that he was the source of the leak but has been suspended with full pay. We all know that our jobs are in danger. We know that, but we couldn’t continue. We couldn’t sleep. We are thinking about the destitute people who need the jobs,” said one of our sources.

The sources explained that even if they were suspended, they hoped that their unions would back them in the disciplinary hearings.

In the meantime, the department has come under fire for delaying internal disciplinary action against the four suspended workers.

Emmanuel Mokwena, Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa’s provincial secretary, who represents Zulu, says his client has been on suspension for too long.

“The department is employing delaying tactics. The last time the workers appeared for the hearing, the case had to be postponed because the employer’s chief witness was not present. How long will we have to wait?” asked Mokwena.

He further said they found it unfair that only the union representatives had been suspended instead of the entire panel that had sat for the shortlisting and interviewing process.

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