Johannesburg – Community health workers (CHWs) in Soweto have still not been paid despite an apology by Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu more than two weeks ago, the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday.
“She said on 29 October that the payments should be rectified ‘urgently’ but 70 CHWs at the Chiawelo Community Health Centre who expected to be paid this past Friday were disappointed when this did not happen,” DA spokesman Jack Bloom said.
The CHWs were recruited in mid-August and were promised R3500 a month. They had continued to work despite being owed three months’ salary.
They did valuable work that included providing home-based care, delivering medicines to house-bound patients, and going door-to-door to assess the health status of households, he said.
“According to Mahlangu, there was ‘a misunderstanding between Gauteng department of health and department of finance officials during the capturing of the said officials in the payroll system; consequently, payments of these newly appointed CHWs were not processed accordingly.
“The excuses are running thin. Why should the CHWs be victims of continuing incompetence in this department? Mahlangu should apologize again and pay them promptly,” Bloom said.
African News Agency