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The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] in the Northern Cape pleads with the Premier of the Northern Cape to convene an urgent health and safety stakeholders meetings to discuss the state of readiness of the province in dealing with COVID-19.

As of today, the Northern Cape government is yet to convene a meeting with organised labour, to deal with the state of readiness of the Province should we encounter the Coronavirus. We are concerned about the state of readiness in the province should we experience an outbreak.

We have noted the statement by the Health MEC released on the 10th March 2020 assuring the People of the Northern Cape about their safety. However, we wish to engage the Premier because the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital, and other hospitals and clinics across the province that have been identified by the Department of Health do not have the necessary resources or isolation wards which is a strict prerequisite in containing and treating the virus.

Furthermore, the identified health facilities by the department are under staffed and are not fully equipped to deal with a virus of this magnitude. Currently, there is no protective clothing and this will put our members at risk. We are yet to hear about any comprehensive plan that is in place should we experience an outbreak. Thus we call upon the Premier to convene stake holders meetings in order to direct National & Provincial Departments to provide training or workshops on how to screen, test, quarantine and treat the virus.

NEHAWU in the province remains highly committed in lending a hand in dealing with the virus and calls on other stakeholder to join in the fight against COVID-19.

Issued by NEHAWU Northern Cape Provincial Secretariat