10 January 2012
New Khayelitsha Hospital under threat: Residents vow to protest and will prevent employees from working on site tomorrow until t
New Khayelitsha Hospital under threat: Residents vow to protest and will prevent employees from working on site tomorrow until their grievances are heard!
8 January 2012
Press statement on behalf of Khayelitsha residents
From 6am tomorrow morning, Khayelitsha residents will be protesting outside the new Khayelitsha Hospital. Tonight, we will be mobilising to that effect. We have had enough! Kwanele!
The Community of Mandela Park (Ward 94 & 97) gathered this afternoon to find out the truth behind the devastating rumors regarding employment at the new Khayelitsha Hospital. Residents have accused Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF) leadership and Ward Councillors of failing to give proper direction in terms of employment opportunities for the area. These politicians seem to only interested in grabbing available opportunities for themselves.
Why do we have to protest in order to be heard? Said one community member during the public meeting: “aren’t we supposed to get information directly from our leaders?”
It has become clear that the KDF and the local Ward Development Forums never held any public meetings concerning employment at the new hospital. Employers merely advertised job openings on extremely short notice after most of the positions had already been filled. As a result, the whole process was exclusionary and fraudulent.
Mandela Park residents are saying that the process was improper since they only heard about the employment opportunities in the newspaper on last minute. We should have been properly informed through local structures so that our cv’s did not merely end up in dustbins.
An insider who is already working at the hospital since last year told other residents at today’s meeting about official opening of the hospital and that an overwhelming number of employees were not from Khayelitsha but from other areas outside the township. Estimates are that only 2%-10% of employees are actually from Khayelitsha. Other groups are significantly overrepresented.
Residents said they want to go directly to the hospital management and hear for themselves why this is the case. We are unemployed and we have had enough of being lied to by politicians. We now want hospital officials and MEC for health to come and tell us what is going on.
The following are our demands:
See you outside Khayelitsha tomorrow morning. Kwanele! Enough is Genoeg!
For more information contact:
Mr. Xolani Krweqe 0711303477
Mrs. Kulati 0730720618
Mr. Sibongile Mhlahlo 0835112942