M A Y 2 0 1 2 • S A S O L D I E R - Department of Defence

S A S O L D I E R2010 review of defenceMOD visit to embattledhospitalsBy Lufuno NetshirembePhoto: Sgt Elias MahumaChapter 11 section 200 (2) of theSouth African Constitutionfocuses on the security servicesof the country: “The primaryobjective of the SANDF isto defend and protect theRepublic, its territorial integrityand its people in accordance withthe Constitution and the principlesof international law regulating theuse of force”. The Constitution asthe supreme law of the our countrystipulates in section 201 (2) that amongother political responsibilities theSANDF can be employed to assistany State department and so help theGovernment discharge its duties.Since the beginning of the PublicService labour action the SANDF hasdeployed more than 3 500 soldiersto different hospitals to assist theDepartment of Health in renderingmedical service and providing securitysupport with the South African PoliceService (SAPS).This assistance was rendered asprescribed in section 18 of Chapter3 of the Defence Act, Act 42 of 2002,section 18 (1). It explicitly stipulatesthat: “In addition to the employmentof the Defence Force by the presidentas contemplated in section 201 (2)of the constitution, the presidentor the minister may authorise theemployment of the Defence Forcefor service inside the Republic or ininternational waters, in order to (a)preserve life, health or property inemergency or humanitarian reliefoperations, (b) ensure provision ofessential services, (c) support anydepartment of state, including supportfor the purpose of socio-economicupliftment and, (d) effect nationalborder control”.In Gauteng the SANDF members weredeployed in Natalspruit, Chris HaniBaragwanath, Helen Joseph, Kalafongand George Mukhari (Ga-Rankuwa)hospitals. In KwaZulu-Natal soldierswere deployed in King Edward,Mahatma Ghandi Memorial and ChiefAlbert Luthuli hospitals. In the NorthWest: Brits and Bophelong hospitals.In Limpopo: Van Vreden Hospital. InMpumalanga: Witbank, Tonga, kwaMhlanga, Mapulaneng, Rob Ferreiraand Ermelo hospitals. In the EasternCape: Dora Nginza and Livingstonehospitals.On 23 August 2010 the Minister ofDefence and Military Veterans, MsLindiwe Sisulu, the Minister of Health,Mr Aaron Motsoaledi, the then Chief ofthe SA Army, Lt Gen Solly Shoke (nowChief of the SANDF), and the SurgeonGeneral, Lt Gen Vejay Ramlakan,visited the Chris Hani BaragwanathHospital in Soweto and the GeorgeMukhari Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa tofind out first-hand the situation at thesehospitals. This visit was meant to helpthe Ministers of Defence and MilitaryVeterans and Health decide on the nextstep. The Minister of Defence andMilitary Veterans was not happy withthe situation at these two hospitalsshe visited. “This situation broughtabout by the strikers is completelyunacceptable. We have a constitutionalmandate to protect Governmentfacilities and we will execute thismandate,” said Minister Sisulu. Sheassured the non-striking doctors whowere afraid of being victimised by thestrikers that the military would doeverything in its power to protect them.This protection included patients andThe Minister of Defence and MilitaryVeterans, Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, comforts one ofthe patients who was worried about the strikeat George Mukhari (Ga-Rankuwa) Hospital.nurses who put their moral obligationto serve first before their right tostrike.The Spokesman of Minister Sisulu,Mr Ndivhuwo Mabaya, said they haddeployed more than 130 personnel atGeorge Mukhari Hospital and over70 at the Chris Hani BaragwanathHospital. Minister Sisulu wasadamant that she would increase themilitary personnel at any hospitalshould the need arise. She said thepatients needed to be confident thatthey could go to the hospital and beattended by either the SA MilitaryHealth Service (SAMHS) membersor the non-striking nurses. Whendoctors residing in the medicaluniversity hostels close to the hospitalpremises told Minister Sisulu thatthey had received threats, sheimmediately issued an instructionthat the military personnel needed tomake sure that they were protectedfrom any harm.She told the media that theDepartment of Defence, theDepartment of Health and the SAPSwere doing all they could to reducethe stress on the non-striking medicalworkers. These three departments hadestablished a toll-free helpline wheredistressed medical workers couldcall in case they were threatened,and help could then bedispatched.The Minister of Healthwas quite pleasedwith the presence ofsoldiers at Baragwanathand George Mukharihos-pitals. He praisedthe soldiers for doingan excellent joband thanked MinisterSisulu for herwillingness to callupon more soldiers forassistance and for thetoll-free helpline.(For more informationplease read the article aspublished in SA Soldier,October 2010 edition,pages 14 and 15.)28 • M A Y 2 0 1 2