Go 1 April 2021

8 GOT A NEWS STORY? Call our news desk on (043) 702 2125 or (043) 702 2046. Find us on Facebook 1 April 2021 GO & EXPRESS
Victory for healthcare workers
Nurses’ contracts extended by three months
SIPHOSIHLE DYONASE
The department of health in
the Eastern Cape on
Monday announced that
the contracts of nurses will be
extended by three months, with
community health workers
getting a 12 month extension.
This comes after EC premier
Oscar Mabuyane, health MEC
Nomakhosazana Meth and
finance MEC Mlungisi Mvoko
met with representatives of the
affected workers in March to
discuss solutions.
“The 8,000 frontline workers
whose contracts were due to
end on March 31 will continue
being in the frontline for another
couple of months,” said health
department spokesperson Sizwe
Ku p e l o .
He said that the decision to
extend their contracts was taken
based on recommendations
from a technical team headed
by provincial health
department acting
s u p e r i n t e n d e n t - g e n e ra l
Dr Sibongile Zungu.
“While the department has
serious budgetary constraints,
the extension of the workers’
contracts was prioritised with
the R400-million needed to pay
their salaries found.
“Ideally we would have
extended their contracts long
ago or advertise the positions if
we did not have financial
❝We would love to
employ all of them
permanently but the
truth of the matter is
that we just don’t
have the budget
ch a l l e n g e s ,” said Kupelo
Meth said the extensions
came at an opportune time
since a third Covid-19 wave is
expected to hit the province.
“This is why it is important
for us to renew their contracts so
that they will continue what
they have been doing and help
us to reduce the spread of the
v i r u s ,” she said.
“We would love to employ
all of them permanently but the
truth of the matter is that we just
don’t have the budget. This is
largely because of medico-legal
claims, which we are working
tirelessly to address.
“This fight is not a
government fight but our fight as
people in general. We have to
continue fighting until all of us
are vaccinated as we are busy
rolling out the vaccine, starting
with our brave healthcare
workers first.”
WE HAVE BEEN HEARD: Healthcare workers protest the termination of their contracts in front
of the Eastern Cape legislature in Bhisho last month. The contracts were renewed after
discussions between the government and workers Picture: MICHAEL PINYANA
PATH TO SPLENDOUR
Public invited to comment on
proposed Equality Bill amendment
SHARE YOUR WORK: Friends of the Ann Bryant Gallery are calling for submissions for their
upcoming exhibition, 'Hidden Treasures of Buffalo City'. The exhibition is open to all artists
residing in or originating from BCM. A maximum of four artworks can be entered per artist at
R15 per entry and all work must be delivered to the Ann Bryan Art Gallery by 4pm on Monday
April 12. All artwork will be displayed online for sale. For more information, visit
www.annbryant.co.za Picture: MASI LOSI
MATTHEW FIELD
The department of justice and
constitutional development
(DJCD) is asking for public
comment on proposed
amendments to the Promotion
of Equality and the Prevention of
Unfair Discrimination Act (Act
No. 4 of 2000), which were
published in Government
Gazette No. 44402 on March
26.
The proposed amendment
bill suggests a number of
changes to the act to broaden its
scope and address problems
which have been identified with
the current iteration.
Clauses 1 to 3 of the bill are
aimed at improving the
protection of complainants from
discrimination by broadening
the definition of “equality” and
“discrimination” in the Act.
Under the amended Act,
“equality” will include “equal
rights and access to resources,
opportunities, benefits and
a dva n t a g e ”.
At the same time, the bill
will make it so that intention is
no longer required for an action
to be considered discrimination.
This, the department said, will
make it easier for complainants
to make out a case.
Two new subsections will be
added to section 6 of the Act
which handles the general
prohibition of unfair
discrimination.
The subsections extend the
scope of the prohibition to “a ny
person who causes, encourages
or requests another person to
discriminate against others”.
Provision will be made for
joint and several liability, which
will ensure that both employers
and employees can be held
liable for discrimination.
The bill also wants to
introduce section 9A, which
prohibits retaliation against a
person who exercised their
remedies legally entitled to
them by the Act
The second half of the bill,
clauses 4 to 9, make it easier for
the department to ensure the
promotion of equality by the
g ove r n m e n t .
These include compelling
state departments on both the
national and provincial level to
release information in their
strategic, corporate and
business plans; ensuring Annual
Reports of Organs of State
contain information on how
they are promoting equality,
and; criminalising the wilful
submission of false information.
The fullgazette can be read
at www.gov.za/documents/
notices.
Citizens have until April 25
to submit a written comment on
the proposed amendments.
- Comments can be emailed
to fbhayat@justice.gov.za or
faxed to 086-754-8493.
- They can also be mailed to:
The Director-General: Justice
and Constitutional
D eve l o p m e n t
Private Bag X81
Pr etoria
0001
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BRAIN STORMING:
Typos Croquet Club
held a Quiz Evening
recently which saw
team Brainy
Bunch taking first
place. Pictured from
left to right are Vuyo
Sekeleni, Gayle
Sobey, Heinli
Phayre, Sive Ngoyi
and their unofficial
team mascot Alizwa
Sekeleni P i c t u re :
CAMERON
KRETSCHMANN