Members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) joined a national strike on Monday to request a wage increase.

The strike has thus far been fruitless as no agreement has been reached yet.

People wearing Nehawu T-shirts formed part of the protest action and, according to witnesses, they broke into Estralita Special School in Lydenburg at 13:30 yesterday.

It is said that they tore up the school register and intimidated some teachers, while another teacher’s arm was severely bruised.

A video, in possession of Steelburger/Lydenburg News, that was taken by a teacher hiding in her class, shows the protesters entering the school grounds and trashing the offices. The video also shows protesters carrying out office equipment.

Non-union teachers have since Monday been taking care of the learners who stay in the hostel. On Wednesday, only the non-union teachers were present at Estralita.

A parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Steelburger/Lydenburg News that the learners are traumatised.

“The professional staff calmed our children and made sure they were taken care of while being locked inside the school grounds. Some of the parents were still arriving at school on Monday morning when the protest started. The members didn’t allow their children to enter the premises,” she said.

“We are concerned about the welfare of our kids during these protests. Nehawu goes to the school, shouts, chants, and blows whistles and vuvuzelas. They are all aware that the learners at Estralita have special needs. Some of the children don’t understand what is happening.

“Situations like these are very traumatising. Some learners are on the autism spectrum and have Down’s syndrome, or have foetal alcohol syndrome. This situation can easily lead to meltdowns and seizures. How are we as parents going to assist our vulnerable children and the handful of dedicated staff?” she asked.

According to the parent, some teachers are volunteering to cook for the hostel learners and are cleaning the dormitories and kitchens. Most of the learners stay in the hostel during the week.

More chaos

After disrupting operations at Estralita, the protesters marched to Lydenburg Hospital where they allegedly chased non-union members out of the buildings. According to witnesses, patients were also blocked from entering the hospital.

One of the patients was waiting in the hospital’s pharmacy with a prescription when an alleged Nehawu member grabbed her left upper arm and shoved her out the door.

Non-union members were providing services at the Lydenburg Hospital yesterday, while Lydenburg SAPS and local security firms were on both scenes to monitor the protests.

Nehawu national spokesperson Lwazi Nkolozi didn’t respond to newspaper enquiries by the time of publishing. It is also said that the school opened a case against the party. This has not been verified yet.

Demands

Nehawu members demand a 10% wage increase while the government offers 4.7%. The list of union demands includes calling for vacant posts to be filled, for civil servants to receive housing subsidies, and for their children to receive education bursaries.

The Labour Court of the Department of Public Service and Administration issued an interdict against the Nehawu strike on Monday. The interdict is under appeal by the union.

Protest continues

Today marks the fourth day of the wage strike, and The Witness reports that Nehawu leadership is held up in negotiations with the employer at the bargaining council.

Disruptions have not only been noted in Mpumalanga.

KZN hospitals have been dumped in chaos and havoc from Monday as healthcare workers blockaded all entries to the facilities.

As the chaos ensued, at least three patients died at Grey’s Hospital while a seven-month pregnant woman died with her unborn baby at Northdale Hospital after spending hours without receiving medical attention.

The woman was hit by a car on her way to Grey’s for her routine scans.