The safety of patients at one of the Eastern Cape’s biggest hospitals was compromised for three hours yesterday morning.
Close to 100 guards deserted their posts, leaving patients, staff, medical equipment and medicines at risk at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH) in Mdantsane.
The night and day shift guards gathered outside the hospital’s premises from 7am until 10am in protest over pay discrepancies.
They demanded that CMH management and their employers, Eastern Guard Security Services and Xhobani Security Services, address them.
Security guards who spoke to the Daily Dispatch revealed that they worked for Eastern Guard, a company hired by the government to provide security services at CMH.
However, they said in July the company ceded the contract, estimated to be worth thousands of rands, to Xhobani Security Services.
It was alleged Eastern Guard had run into trouble with the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
A security guard who asked not to be named said: “We were told in July that Eastern Guard has ceded the contract to Xhobani who will be paying our salaries and that nothing was going to change. Since then, we have not been getting the same salaries as we used to.”
He said they had also not received their salaries on time.
Another security guard said he was unable to provide for his family because he was earning less now than before. “I get a salary of R2300, from R3700. Our salaries change monthly while we work the same hours. We don’t know what’s going on so we decided to protest.”
The guards said there was no security for three hours at the facility. They returned to their posts after CMH chief executive Dr Mthandeki Xamlashe addressed them and promised to go to Bhisho to resolve the matter.
Questions were sent to Xamlashe but he had not responded at the time of writing.
Provincial health spokesman Siyanda Manana said the department would look into the matter. “We are concerned about the security of our patients and staff, hence we have directed the company to quickly deal with this matter. If there is a breach of the agreement between the company and us then a penalty will be instituted.”
Manana said the dispute over payments was between security guards and their employer.
He said neither department nor the hospital was involved in the matter.
Xhobani manager Sebenzile Somi and Eastern Guard management had not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
Strike by hospital security
Close to 100 guards deserted their posts, leaving patients, staff, medical equipment and medicines at risk at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH) in Mdantsane.
The night and day shift guards gathered outside the hospital’s premises from 7am until 10am in protest over pay discrepancies.
They demanded that CMH management and their employers, Eastern Guard Security Services and Xhobani Security Services, address them.
Security guards who spoke to the Daily Dispatch revealed that they worked for Eastern Guard, a company hired by the government to provide security services at CMH.
However, they said in July the company ceded the contract, estimated to be worth thousands of rands, to Xhobani Security Services.
It was alleged Eastern Guard had run into trouble with the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
A security guard who asked not to be named said: “We were told in July that Eastern Guard has ceded the contract to Xhobani who will be paying our salaries and that nothing was going to change. Since then, we have not been getting the same salaries as we used to.”
He said they had also not received their salaries on time.
Another security guard said he was unable to provide for his family because he was earning less now than before. “I get a salary of R2300, from R3700. Our salaries change monthly while we work the same hours. We don’t know what’s going on so we decided to protest.”
The guards said there was no security for three hours at the facility. They returned to their posts after CMH chief executive Dr Mthandeki Xamlashe addressed them and promised to go to Bhisho to resolve the matter.
Questions were sent to Xamlashe but he had not responded at the time of writing.
Provincial health spokesman Siyanda Manana said the department would look into the matter. “We are concerned about the security of our patients and staff, hence we have directed the company to quickly deal with this matter. If there is a breach of the agreement between the company and us then a penalty will be instituted.”
Manana said the dispute over payments was between security guards and their employer.
He said neither department nor the hospital was involved in the matter.
Xhobani manager Sebenzile Somi and Eastern Guard management had not responded to a request for comment at the time of writing. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
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