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Members of Nehawu escorted Edward Manyokole (dressed in a black jacket and blue jeans) from Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday. The group is not satisfied with the way the new CEO is managing the facility.
Nompendulo Ngubane, GroundUp
- Nehawu members removed the executive director of Northdale Hospital from the building Tuesday.
- They broke into some offices and spray-painted the walls.
- Staff said they were forced to buy their own protective gear and disinfectant to work.
More than 50 members of the National Union of Education, Health and Allied Workers (Nehawu) stormed Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday and escorted CEO Edward Manyokole out of the building, GroundUp reported.
The protesters expressed their dissatisfaction with the management of the Manyokole hospital, as well as with the hospital’s human resources (HR) manager, Sifiso Cele.
Nehawu members entered the hospital doors with posters. They went directly to Manyokole’s office, demanding that he leave immediately. A flowerpot was used in the hallway to break the glass door of his office. They went to Cele’s office and when the group found out that Cele was not there, they spray painted “CEO must go” and “hamba inja” (“the dog must go”) on the walls.
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The protesters then escorted Manyokole out of the gates, carrying his suitcases to his car.
Mazwi Ngubane, Nehawu’s secretary in the Harry Gwala region, said Manyokole and Cele had ignored requests to meet with the union to discuss issues in Northdale.
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Ngubane said conditions at the hospital were “worse than before” and that staff were unhappy.
“Their lives are at risk. We have a problem that Covid-19 corpses are being kept in the hospital longer than they should. The issue of personal protective equipment (PPE) is also a problem. The department said it has been Exhausted”. Of funds. It’s amazing how the department has no budget while workers are at risk, “he said.
He said workers relied on the personal protective equipment of a field hospital at the Royal Showgrounds, which was built to help with the influx of Covid-19 patients during the peak. Since then, the facility has been closed.
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“We were confident that the CEO would make a difference after the former CEO’s suspension. Employees were patient with him, waiting for him to change. He had shown arrogance. We want both of them to get out of this hospital. They must go,” Ngubane said. said.
An employee who asked not to be identified said he had to buy his own PPE and disinfectant to work. “Fortunately, we have a warehouse nearby where we buy our protective gear. It’s a disaster. We work because there is nothing we can do.”
Upon leaving, Manyokole told GroundUp that workers were accusing him of things he was not aware of.
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“They say I’m arrogant. All they want to do is dictate and I can’t allow that,” Manyokole said.
The head of the KwaZulu-Natal Health Department, Dr. Sandile Tshabalala, condemned the actions of the protesters.
“A high-level team of officials from the central office has been deployed to investigate the incident,” Tshabalala said.
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