Inquiry into protests at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital told ‘it must have seen them coming’
Protesters even went into sterile operating theatre, forcing staff and their patients to lock themselves in toilets for their own safety
The protest by health workers over unpaid performance bonuses at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in May was unexpected. This was according to its CEO, Dr Gladys Bogoshi and head of the Gauteng health department Dr Mkhululi Lukhele. This was heard at a South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) inquiry into the causes of the protest and ways to prevent it from happening again. The one-day inquiry took place in Braamfontein on Thursday. On May 31 hundreds of workers‚ mostly National Education‚ Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) members‚ demanded that the Gauteng health department pay their performance bonuses for the 2016-17 financial year. The workers blocked the entrances to the hospital with garbage‚ dustbins and rocks. The corridors inside the hospital were filled with rubbish including papers and half-eaten food. Hospital operations were disrupted and some patients were sent home. But Nehawu provincial deputy secretary Gracia Rikhotso and provincial chairman Lulamile...
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