Download PDFMpumalanga Community Healthcare Workers (CHWs) have organised themselves to form the Mpumalanga Community Health Care Forum in a move inspired by the Gauteng-based CHWs who formed the Gauteng Community Health Care Forum (GCHCF). One of the objectives of the GCHCF is to assist the CHWs of Mpumalanga to also be absorbed on to the Persal system by the Department of Health. Both structures are supported by the Khanya College.
The GCHCF has often invited the CHWs of Mpumalanga to attend workshops and Transvaal meetings at the House of Movements (in Johannesburg) where they meet for updates, reports and go discuss the way forward. The meetings take place once a month and generally last a whole weekend (from Friday evening to Sunday morning).The meetings include the Gauteng, Mpumalanga and North West Forums. With the information and knowledge the CHWs of Mpumalanga have gathered at Khanya College they have managed to recruit other CHWs in Mpumalanga in 20 different municipalities such as Thembisile Hani, Gert Sibande, Emalahleni, JS Moroka (Dr) and many more.
The Mpumalanga CHWs communicate with each other through phone calls, WhatsApp groups and their Facebook page – ‘Mpumalanga community health care workers’. The CHWs of Mpumalanga and North West have also been offered the services of Lawyers for Human Rights to represent them in a case for permanent employment at the bargaining council. To assist with this case and make sure that CHWs are able to organise for the case, Khanya College has provided CHWs with copies of the legal forms necessary and taxi fare too.
This article was submitted on 19 October 2021. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
