This particular group of 600 workers accuse the department of breach of contract saying the agreement was for them to serve four years of community service after completing their training.
Nomvo Makhathi speaks on behalf of the nurses and says government had seen the need when they were trained, a need they still believe exists. “Government saw that in the health system in the Eastern Cape there was a need recruit and train people to be nurses so they can serve to counteract the existence of staff shortage and the existence of litigations that are posed against the government by the communities. That need is still there because, in the institutions that we work in, we are still short-staffed. There are still litigations that are mounting hence government is having billions towards ligations.
The Director of Labour Relations at the Department of Health, Bongani Lose, maintains the department has no money to extend the contracts. “Because of the financial situation that the department is faces we are unfortunately not able to do that at this time.”