[ad_1]
Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize
- The Eastern Cape government has strongly condemned a song by protesting health workers addressed to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, which apparently carried a “tribal message”.
- Angry community health workers in the Eastern Cape braved the winter weather to picket in front of Livingstone Hospital where Mkhize was giving a talk.
- The strike by Nehawu members demanding permanent employment entered its second week yesterday.
The Eastern Cape government has condemned the “disparaging tribalist conduct”, allegedly directed at Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, when protesting against health workers in Port Elizabeth when he visited the region on Tuesday.
According to the Herald, protesting community health workers chanted “Mkhize is a boy to be circumcised“, which translates as” Mkhize is an uncircumcised boy, he must be circumcised. “
Eastern Cape government spokesman Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha said: “The government of the Eastern Cape province condemns the reprehensible acts of tribalism exhibited by a group of health workers who sang derogatory songs and hurled insults intended to degrade our minister. of Health, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, in Port Elizabeth today. “
“This act of tribalism, insulting and disrespecting Dr. Mkhize or any other person, has no place in our society. There is no person, including workers, who has the right to insult another person. The conduct of this group of workers “It is foolish, unjustified, reprehensible and has no place in our society. There is no justification for this fanaticism. We call on this group of workers to stop this behavior and to apologize to Dr. Mkhize, “Sicwetsha said.
The Eastern Cape community health worker protest entered its second week on Monday.
Most of the workers are affiliated with the National Union of Education, Health and Allied Workers (Nehawu).
Nehawu Eastern Cape Provincial Secretary Mickey Jaceni defended the workers.
He said:
I cannot vouch for something I did not witness. Look, there are a lot of songs that we sing. We even regularly sing about (former chief of health) Dr. Mbengashe. We never isolate anyone. But what I can say is that we are on strike for our community health workers to be absorbed as permanent staff. It doesn’t seem like this song is related to what we’re fighting for. I can’t vouch for it.
Workers braved the cold, wet weather and sang and danced outside Livingstone Hospital, where Mkhize was addressing the media and surveying the site.
Mkhize was in the Eastern Cape to launch a “massive testing campaign” following the resurgence of Covid-19 in the Nelson Mandela metro and Sarah Baartman district township.
The massive testing campaign was one of the provincial health department’s strategies to contain the Covid-19 spike, said provincial health spokeswoman Judy Ngoloyi.
Confirmed cases in Nelson Mandela Bay currently number 34,024, with 1,356 deaths and 25,966 recoveries.
Sarah Baartman District had 10,534 positive cases, 8,456 recoveries, 299 deaths, and 1,779 active cases.
Mkhize’s visit followed concerns raised by President Cyril Ramaphosa about the resurgence of Covid-19 in the Eastern Cape with a specific mention of Nelson Mandela’s metro.
In July, community health workers from across the Eastern Cape marched to Bhisho, the capital of the Eastern Cape, to demand permanent employment.
Did you know that you can comment on this article? Subscribe to News24 and add your voice to the conversation.
