“Health workers face daily harassment from the community” – HAITU
The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) condemns the Gauteng Provincial government for failing to serve the community of Sebokeng in Zone 17.
Health workers at Sebokeng Clinic experience daily harassment from the community because the Gauteng province has failed to deliver services.
In a statement on Friday HAITU’s spokesperson Lerato Mthunzi said the union was forced to intervene in a dispute between angry community members and health workers at the clinic because the community is taking its anger out on nurses at the clinic.
According to Mthunzi the community raised a number of grievances with the union:
“1. They are angry because service delivery at the clinic is poor, and this is due to massive staff shortages. Nurses cannot give them the kind of care they deserve because they are grossly understaffed. This causes the community to respond angrily and they take their frustration out on workers.
- The community were promised jobs through EPWP programs and other employment opportunities, but so far, they say none of these jobs have materialized.
- They are demanding that local businesses must be given preference to provide services to the community, as part of job creation, this has not happened.”
Mthunzi cites that at the same time, their members are demanding increased security because they are unable to work freely.
“They are under attack every day from the community because of government’s failure to fulfil these promises.”
The community is under the mistaken belief that job opportunities are determined by the local management of the clinic, and this is not the case. All positions are advertised and are filled by the provincial health department, not by the clinic itself.”
“Sebokeng zone 17 is a very poor community which has been neglected by the state. The roads are in a shocking state, and most of the buildings in the area are old and there is a lot of crumbling infrastructure. There are high levels of poverty and unemployment and this is why the opening of the new clinic, gave hope that there would be many job and business opportunities for the community.”
However, the provincial government has failed to deliver on these promises which is why they are so angry. As we speak, the official opening for the new Sebokeng Clinic has been disrupted because the community staged a massive protest. Officials responded violently by calling public order police and this has resulted in people being shot at with teargas and rubber bullets.”
