Nehawu to march against ‘EFF takeover’ of Bara hospital

29 September 2015 - 20:40 By Penwell Dlamini
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Members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu).
Members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu).
Image: Halden Krog

While thousands are expected to march on Wednesday against corruption at Union Buildings‚ the National Education‚ Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) will march to the country's biggest hospital against its alleged takeover by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

In a statement released on Tuesday‚ Nehawu said it would march to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital “against the capture of the hospital by Economic Freedom Fighters”.

The Cosatu affiliated union said‚ “In collusion with the management‚ the EFF has introduced corrupt tendencies at the hospital. Our members will therefore be handing over a memorandum demanding the removal of the CEO (Andile Mfenyana) and some senior managers”.

Nehawu accuses hospital management of being bullied by the EFF into hiring its members‚ “ignoring thousands of applicants of Soweto”.

It claims that the EFF marched to Bara demanding that their members be hired‚ and hospital management allegedly employed 147 workers without following proper procedures.

“The process was so flawed that no interviews were conducted‚ no screening was done and the employment equity committee was misled with regards to the number of positions available‚” Nehawu said.

The march coincides with the one organised by Cosatu expelled National Union of Metalworkers of SA and other civil organisation‚ which will be staged at the Union Buildings in Pretoria and Parliament in Cape Town.

EFF Gauteng spokesperson Ntobeng Ntobeng said the party was not aware of the Nehawu march.

“The EFF marched to Baragwanath Hospital for the people of Gauteng‚ Joburg and Soweto so that there could not be money and sex in exchange for jobs. We demanded that the (employment) process be transparent‚” Ntobeng said.

“It is not true that the people that were employed subsequently were EFF members. That is unfounded. Nehawu must be very confused and drunk and do not have any political direction.

“We are saying bravo to the CEO because he listened to the cries of the people and we commend him for that. It is the community that we fought for that ultimately got the jobs at Bara‚” he said.

RDM News Wire.

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