Frail and elderly patients at Huis Davidtz Retirement Home take on role of nurses after yet another service disruption at the home

Pretoria - The frail and elderly patients at Huis Davidtz Retirement Home assumed the role of nurses, while they cleaned dishes and swept the floor, after yet another service disruption at the home. Some did not receive their daily chronic medication, while others were cleaned and fed late. One patient who has arthritis lay with a urine filled and unchanged diaper, which further gave the room a strong scent. The person was one of many patients at the troubled centre in the CBD, who have been left unattended while staff, who have worked there for decades without work contracts, went on strike. The issue of contracts date back to two decades ago with staff claiming they have worked at the home for more than 20 years without employment contracts. They also made allegations of racism, the abuse of patients by management, being underpaid, and more. In August, disgruntled nurses, volunteers, chefs and cleaners went on a three-day strike, led by the EFF with police k…
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Nehawu to intensify Unisa strike, may spread to Tuks

WORKERS at the University of Pretoria could soon join their Unisa counterparts in a strike for higher wages, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said yesterday. As the strike at Unisa entered its fourth day yesterday, Nehawu threatened to intensify its strike and mobilise members at other universities. Nehawu national organiser for higher education Ntsako Nombelani said this was not Unisa’s fight alone and next on the list to strike would be its members at Tuks. They too, according to Nombelani, were at loggerheads with the university with their wage rates. “In the next couple of weeks the strike will hit Tuks,” he said. Workers affiliated to Nehawu at and Tshwane University of Technology managed to score them themselves a good deal during negotiations last year. They agreed on a 7% hike, coupled with numerous benefits. Nombelani said that university was safe from the wage-related strikes. At Unisa, students were yet again hit as s…
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Pretoria bus strike action leaves commuters stranded

Workshop personnel at the C de Wet Bus Depot in Tshwane have downed tools, preventing more than 100 buses from moving off and leaving commuters stranded on Thursday. Executive director of Tshwane Strategic Communication Selby Bokaba said the Tshwane Bus Service (TBS) was surprised by the move because they were not informed of the employees' intentions. Two trucks blocked the entrance to the depot. Only three of 105 buses managed to exit before the gate was blocked. "Bus commuters in Centurion, Olievenhoutbosch, Danville, Pretoria East and some in Lotus Gardens have been severely affected by the strike," said Bokaba in a statement. Bokaba added that the disgruntled personnel, which include artisans, senior operators and general workers, embarked on the strike because of overtime-related grievances and the apparent outsourcing of work to external companies. "The City of Tshwane profusely apologises to our loyal bus commuters who have been left stranded and incon…
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