Police tighten security as Nehawu protest shuts down hospitals
The strike entered its fourth day on Thursday, with Nehawu members protesting at health facilities in various places across the country demanding a 10% wage hike.
Police are monitoring the situation after several hospitals experienced complete shutdown as the Nehawu strike entered its fourth day on Thursday.
“The public order police unit is highly visible in all the affected areas,” said national SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe.
Police also made several arrests in various provinces.
In the Northern Cape, a person was arrested in Galeshewe for throwing faeces at the entrance of home affairs offices. A case of malicious property damage was opened.
In the Free State, three persons were arrested at Pelonomi Hospital for blocking the main entrance to the hospital. All three were charged with public violence.
In North West, three women (aged 32, 49 and 56) were arrested for public violence after burning tyres along James Moroka Road.
Police had to use stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse protesters that were blocking the main entrance and roads leading into Baragwanath hospital.
Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko and national health minister Joe Phaahla visited health facilities affected by strikers on Thursday.
Their first stop was at the Charlotte Maxeke academic hospital.
This comes after Nehawu embarked on what it called an “indefinite” strike on Monday, demanding a 10% wage hike.
On Wednesday evening, the Gauteng health department sought an interdict against Nehawu to stop its members from obstructing patients from receiving health services to patients.
The department said it had no choice but to seek relief from the courts given the strike’s dire impact on facilities where the lives of both patients and staff were under threat.
According to a joint statement by both provincial and national governments, the situation on Thursday improved significantly due to the order granted by the Johannesburg labour court.
“All highly affected provinces could get court interdicts and they are being applied to bring the situation to normal,” the departments said in a statement.
Gauteng is worst hit province as most of its health facilities were affected by the strike.
“Yesterday, some hospitals experienced total shutdowns at Kopanong, Sebokeng, Thelle Mogoerane and Bheki Mlangeni where patients were left unattended as striking workers went inside wards ordering staff out of the facilities.”
Two academic hospitals, Charlotte Maxeke, and Chris Hani Baragwanath were also hit by the strike.
Despite the improvement at most facilities, the situation was still tense at the Helen Joseph, Bheki Mlangeni, Kopanong, Sebokeng and Thelle Mogoerane hospitals.
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