Picketing nursing staff at Dora Nginza Hospital’s main gate barred ambulances from entering or leaving the premises on Thursday, also preventing patients who had been discharged, visitors and a Herald reporter from leaving.
Breaking rank and sticking it to the courts, Dora Nginza workers burned National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union T-shirts outside the hospital on Tuesday, refusing to return to their posts despite an interdict barring them from protesting.
In South Africa, trade unions have a reputation for having workers’ backs. But for many community health workers, these organisations are no longer an ally.