Barberton General Hospital workers reinstated

The suspension of four Barberton General Hospital workers alleged of nepotism in the jobs for pals scandal which rocked the public institution in October last year, has been lifted.

It has been confirmed that the workers – Sunday Myeni and Muzi Shongwe of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu), Thembi Zulu of Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa) and Edna Godi of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa – who had been put on compulsory leave while it had been established how vacancies for 20 people miraculously grew to 38, returned to work this past week Tuesday.

Some workers were not at all pleased that their colleagues returned as they felt the matter had still not been resolved.

Emmanuel Mokwena, Hospersa provincial secretary, who represents Zulu, confirmed that she and the other three returned to work. “In investigations such as this, staff may be suspended as a precautionary measure.

But I can confirm that the suspension has been lifted after the employer couldn’t prove the allegations leveled at them,” said Mokwena.

These four were union members representing workers in the hospital and when the scandal unfolded, they were members of the interviewing panel.

According to a circular of the department that was shown to Barberton Times, dated April with the closing date being April 26, initially 15 posts for cleaners and five for groundmen had been advertised. But surprisingly, when appointments were made, the posts had swelled to 38 cleaners and eight groundmen.

At the time, 38 general workers, (15 allegedly card-carrying ANC members, friends and relatives of the union members and senior staff members) were controversially employed.

Among those was the wife of Umjindi speaker, Cllr Vusi Mkhatshwa, who also served as the ANC councillor for Ward 4 at Emjindini and is Mpumalanga Ancyl’s deputy chairperson.

Mkhatshwa had previously confirmed that his wife, Nonkhululeko Vilakazi, had been employed but said he’d nothing to do with it.

The reinstatement of those who were suspended followed days after premier David Mabuza had put the health department under curatorship.

Mabuza said they were unsatisfied with the provincial health-care centres’ current state of affairs due to mismanagement.

Dumisani Malamule of the Department of Health, couldn’t confirm nor deny their reinstatement. All he was prepared to do was to thank this paper for inquiring about the issue. “The investigation is currently ongoing and the department will only make known the details once the investigation has been concluded,” he said.