Over the last few weeks, a post-World Cup hangover has hit South Africa hard. Many South Africans already feeling somewhat uneasy due the government’s proposal to regulate the press through a media tribunal, have been further horrified by the violent actions of many strikers involved in the public services strike. While most are entirely sympathetic to the plight of public sector workers such as nurses and teachers who are hugely undervalued and underpaid, there has been a strong reaction against the intimidatory tactics of strikers, which has included physical violence, and interfered with several essential services such as ICU units.
All of this is why it is like a breath of fresh air to hear some refreshingly good news behind all the bad. Training Methodist ministers from the Pietermaritzburg based Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary have had their afternoon classes suspended for the duration of this week so that they would be freed up to serve at Townhill Hospital, a psychiatric facility adjoined to the well known Grey’s Hospital. Like many other public medical facilities, Townhill has been adversely affected by the strikes. Without cleaners or adequate nursing care for well over a week, living conditions have quickly degenerated to appalling degrees for patients.
The initially nervous seminarians, made up of both black and white students, were armed with mops and buckets and spent most of their time cleaning, washing and generally serving as menial servants. Others with nursing or care experience assisted with patient supervision.
This was despite the fact that the students struggled to gain access to Townhill through the picketing strikers outside. The President of the Seminary, the Rev. Dr. Ross Olivier said that he had accompanied the students to ensure their safety and had battled to make the extremely militant strikers understand the role that the Seminary would like to play in serving the patients. In an e-mail, Dr. Olivier explained his experiences in this regard:
“Today was tension-filled, characterised by difficult negotiations with very militant striking workers barricading the hospital gates. I went to meet them prior to the arrival of the bus ferrying our seminarians. They were very angry about our presence in the hospital. I explained our position, viz. that as Christ-followers we stand on two legs, justice and mercy. I told them our commitment to justice draws us into solidarity with every just cause, including the right of the public servants such as teachers, nurses, et cetera who selflessly serve all of us. I further explained that intimidatory actions and especially the denial of treatment to the most vulnerable among us makes it difficult for us to stand alongside them but that we did support their just cause.“
Dr. Olivier went onto say that:
“However I also put forward our case that their differences were with government, not the innocent patients being denied vital care. Mercy compels us to attend to them as we are able. After strident negotiations that improved as I was led up the NEHAWU ladder (I eventually negotiated directly with the Regional Secretary for the Harry Gwala Region) we carved open a small window. In exchange for my presence at the march to the legislature tomorrow, the bus-load of seminarians, accompanied by a shop-steward, were allowed to enter the hospital for approximately two and a half hours. Once again blessed relief was brought to the patients (and staff) by the service of our magnificent seminarians.”
In other news, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Rev. Ivan Abrahams, joined his voice to several others who have condemned the violent methods of some of the strikers. Speaking on behalf of the Methodist Church he affirmed and supported the justice of their cause, but urged all civil servants to demonstrate peacefully, “in full recognition of the rights of the rest of the nation and cognisant of the fact that all that is destroyed today will have to be replaced tomorrow from the same purse.”
(Image from blackacademics.org).