The ‘Reclaiming our healthcare dignity’ marchers are ready to take further action after the Mpumalanga premier’s failure to respond to their demands.

Following a memorandum submitted by the community of eMalahleni led by the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party on September 9, in which they expressed their outrage and disappointment at the poor service received at the Witbank Tertiary Hospital, the premier was given seven days to respond, and it’s two weeks later, yet he still hasn’t responded.

“They haven’t responded, and I don’t think they will respond anytime from now because the people who are dying and are being ill-treated in that hospital are not their families,” said George Lukhele, member of the Mpumalanga Legislature deployed by the MK.

Though they couldn’t disclose their plan of action, Lukhele hinted that something is coming.

“People shouldn’t be shocked when it happens; they must just know that since the office of the premier failed to respond, we’re escalating the matter to the national government,” he said.

Through their march to the hospital, the marchers said they aimed to highlight the plight of the community and ask for the removal of the current Mpumalanga Health MEC, Sasekani Manzini, as they claim that she is not fit for the position.

“We stand here because our children are dying from preventable diseases. We stand here because our mothers and sisters are giving birth in conditions worse than those of animals,” the marchers said.

Among the list of demands in the memorandum that was received by the special advisor in the office of the premier, Jomo Nyambi, the residents stated that they demand the sacking of the Health MEC, dismissal of the CEO and the entire board of the hospital, an urgent improvement in the ambulance services, and they also demand the investigation of alleged rape cases in the hospital, among others.

WITBANK NEWS reached out to the office of the premier for a comment on the matter, but there still has been no response.

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