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IOL reports that the Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (Haitu) has reacted angrily to the interim interdict to stop student nurses’ protests that the South Gauteng High Court granted to the Gauteng Department of Health.
“We say ‘voetsek’ to the Gauteng MEC (Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko) for abusing the courts, in order to run away from her responsibilities towards R171 (curriculum) students,” said Haitu provincial chairperson Bafana Tshabalala. “The anger of students is justifiable. The department abruptly informed student nurses that their contracts come to an end on the 31st of May. These are students who will be the first cohort and finalists of the R171 curriculum, and there are no plans in place to support these students until they sit for board exams in November,” Tshabalala pointed out. He said Haitu had been in talks with some officials in the department of health and had sent the department emails about the issues. “We have also participated in marches and protests with the students, in the hope that we can find a solution to this crisis which would benefit both parties. It is clear that the MEC does not want to give us an audience and has now resorted to using her power and political influence to intimidate students through the courts,” Tshabalala said. He added that the students’ demands were reasonable and the union did not believe the department was being truthful when it claimed that to retain 167 students would cost R77 million. Haitu said the union would be challenging the court interdict and would be applying for a “mega march” on 31 May.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Jonisayi Maromo at IOL
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