The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in Gauteng has condemned the harassment of a male nurse at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. The incident happened on Tuesday at the hospital's emergency unit by a community member who made xenophobic remarks while filming.

SAFETY FIRST

Denosa has called on the Gauteng Department of Health to tighten Occupational Health and Safety risks for both staff and patients at its facilities. Provincial Secretary Bongani Mazibuko said such incidents pose a serious threat to the functioning of the facilities. In a video that has since gone viral on social media, the man recorded on his phone a male nurse, asking him his name, where he came from and whether he was employed at the hospital. The victim, a male registered nurse at the unit, answered every question the gentleman was asking. "This video has since gone viral on social media platforms, where the nurse is now accused of being an illegal immigrant working as a nurse with no qualifications. Fortunately, the perpetrator shows his face in the same video while he laments about how nice it is in South Africa, where anyone can just come and work," Mazibuko said, adding that the incident was extremely dangerous since it instigates violence and is an act of xenophobia. "This leaves the nurse, who is fully qualified as a registered nurse, registered with the country's nursing regulatory body, SANC, and renders quality patient care to the patients at the unit in a life-threatening situation. His rights have been violated in the workplace with no intervention from those who should be responsible for protecting him while at work, thus exposing the employee to occupational health and safety risks."

A QUALIFIED NURSE WITH PAPERS TO BE IN THE COUNTRY

The Gauteng Department of Health confirmed that the nurse in question has been part of the healthcare system since 2011 and has a permanent residence and valid South African identification. Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the department strongly cautions against intimidation of health workers. "Often unverified information that distorts facts gets shared on social media platforms in a manner that seeks to incite the public. Not only are the rights of employees to discharge their duties in an environment free of threats and intimidation infringed upon, but often the rights of patients to privacy and dignity are grossly violated," Modiba said.