Sekela Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo, ndiza kugqagqanisa okwengqeqe ikhonkotha, ndithi gqaba-gqaba apha naphaya.
English:
Hon Members of NCOP, hon Deputy Chair, I am humbled to present the Sigogo Petition on behalf of the Select Committee on Petitions and Executive Undertakings. The Select Committee on Petitions and Executive Undertakings having considered the Sigogo Petition, and referred to the committee by the Chair of the NCOP on 7 September 2018, reports as follows: Mr Olwethu Sigogo submitted the petition in his capacity as a representative of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, Nehawu, of the Khayelitsha District Hospital Constituency. The complaints contained in the petition relate to the freezing of posts, irregular appointments, absence of Employment Equity, mismanagement of
funds at the hospital and a number of irregularities relating to Occupational Health and Safety at the hospital.
The committee held a total of three hearings on the petition at Parliament. The primary purpose of these hearings was to afford the petitioner as well as the relevant stakeholders the opportunity to make first hand oral submissions, to the committee, on the petition. A number of affected parties attended the hearings including the Cape Metropolitan Health Forum, the Department of Labour, the Public Service Commission and a number of whistle-blowers who relayed their experiences of the Khayelitsha District Hospital in their capacity as staff at the hospital and former staff.
In highlighting aspects of the report, the testimony revealed that even though the hospital is not meant to function as a psychiatric ward, 35 beds are allocated on the first floor of the hospital to accommodate psychiatric patients. As recently as February 2019, there were 79 patients being accommodated in the psychiatric ward. This has led to a strain on maintenance management at the hospital. The safety of psychiatric patients is also compromised since the ward is located on the first floor and recently, a patient tried to jump from the first floor window.
Hon Chair, in relation to the investigation conducted by the Public Service Commission, the committee found that the Public Service Commission did not hold interviews with staff members who were allegedly victimised by the management of the hospital. They only held interviews with the Nehawu leadership and the management of the hospital. This omission is glaring and further erodes the value of the investigation prejudicing the petitioner. It should also be strongly noted that, even though invitations were extended to the Western Cape MEC for Health, the Head of Department of Health of Western Cape, the Acting Chief Executive of Khayelitsha District Hospital, KDH, and Substructure Office of the KDH refused to attend all of the three hearings on the petition, alleging that the committee was acting outside of the powers afforded to it by the Constitution.
The Committee sought the assistance of Parliamentary Legal Services to provide advice. It was noted that while the committee...