Nurse recalls Jackson Mthembuâs last hours
By Staff Reporter
Nhlanhla Mbatha
Johannesburg - Sister Mavis Mahlakoane on Sunday described the 18-and-a-half hours she spent with Minister Jackson Mthembu at Milpark Hospital, where the minister succumbed to Covid-19-related complications on Thursday.
Mthembu, the Minister in the Presidency, was buried in his hometown of eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, on Sunday, in a state funeral attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who gave the eulogy, Deputy President David Mabuza and other government and ANC heavyweights.
Mahlakoane said Mthembu was admitted to hospital on Tuesday, January 19. The next day, she was assigned to room 3 where Mthembu was being treated. âMost nurses were scared to nurse him, saying thereâs a VIP patient.
Outpouring of grief for medical heroes who died while trying to help others 24 January 2021 - 00:05 By Zimasa Matiwane, Graeme Hosken and Naledi Shange
A transplant team regarded by colleagues as the best in SA had prayed for years they would not be involved in a helicopter crash. We always said, God, please don t let that happen to us, because we can t afford it in terms of manpower, said Dr Paul Williams, a critical-care specialist who worked with the team at Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg.
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Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has confirmed that one of the Netcare health professionals who died in a helicopter crash near Bergville was called to save Minister Jackson Mthembu’s life.
Mthembu, 62, succumbed to COVID-19 on Thursday.
“One of the doctors who have passed away in the crash was actually called by a friend, Dr Paul William, to come and save Minister Jackson during a difficult time.
“He dropped the trip, he was supposed to go to KwaZulu-Natal, and his team waited, delayed his flight. He came back to [help Mthembu]. They came together with Dr Rudolph Mononyane, a cardiac anaesthetist, to do everything they could to support Minister Jackson and of course, unfortunately, as he was flying out he met a fatal accident,” Mkhize told Clement Manyathela on eNCA on Thursday.