KZN community healthcare workers disrupt Ramaphosa address to ANC supporters

A handful of community healthcare workers briefly disrupted President Cyril Ramaphosa's election campaign in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday with demands for full-time employment and better pay.

Ramaphosa was addressing ANC supporters in Ashdown township, Pietermaritzburg, when the workers began chanting his name, holding placards with demands for permanent employment. 

Some of the community health workers (CHWs) told TimesLIVE they earn a stipend of about R4,000 per month, without benefits like pension or medical aid.

They said they did not have the security of a permanent job and were contracted for 12 months at a time.

They are now demanding a meeting with Ramaphosa before May 29, the day of the elections, to discuss a plan to make them permanent employees.

They held placards reading: “President Ramaphosa we need a meeting with you regarding community healthcare workers.”

Others read: “President Ramaphosa sort this community health care workers thing before 29 May” and “President can you survive on R4,000 per month ... when are you absorbing health care workers.”

Ramaphosa did not address the demonstration but much of his speech focused on the ANC's plan to create millions of jobs through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).

His address also focused on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, which he signed.

He said the NHI was a crucial intervention to address the current situation where the poor were unable to access quality health care.

“As we speak, our people are not able to access quality health care because when they are unwell, and want to seek medical assistance, they are asked to pay a fortune. As things stand, it’s only the rich who are able to access quality health care. And to us as the ANC that’s unacceptable,” he said.

TimesLIVE