By Abigail Visagie and Rorisang Rampheteng
For the second time in less than a month, healthcare workers at Pelonomi Hospital have taken to the picket lines, reigniting concerns over persistent staff shortages within the Free State province’s busiest health facility.
The latest strike, which took place on Wednesday morning outside the casualty ward and was sparked by patients' referral from the National District Hospital to Pelonomi.
The strike was reported to have disrupted essential medical services and raised alarms among patients and healthcare advocates in the facility.
According to frustrated healthcare workers, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears and the department continues to ignore challenges faced by workers and patients alike.
“Again, we find ourselves picketing today after our grievances, submitted last month, including many other complaints over the past months and years, have fallen on deaf ears and are still causing a rift between staff members and the patients,” said a staff member.
Another patient, James Mkhatazo (27) from Freedom Square, Bloemfontein, claims that it has been 34 days since he arrived at the hospital and has yet to receive assistance.
“The moment I came to the hospital, I was constantly told to avoid eating since my operation would be the following day. I have also spent time with other patients who came and left sooner than I have,” said Mkhatazo.
As tensions mount, questions are once again being asked about the government’s ability - or willingness - to respond effectively to the long-standing challenges plaguing public healthcare institutions.
Free State Department of Health acting spokesperson, Motale Sebego, confirmed that the department is aware of the strike held by the staff who are crying for reinforcement of staff, as “positions are advertised on an ongoing basis and when the necessary funds are available.”
He further confirmed that patients are being assessed and, in some cases, may be referred to other healthcare facilities within the province for further and appropriate
The Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa) has urged the public to refrain from forcibly taking people to initiation schools.
This plea comes in response to a recent incident involving a 72-year-old man who was abducted from his home in Ga-Mamatsha village in Limpopo and taken to an initiation school without his consent.
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with this case and were released on bail after a court appearance.
The traditional council says people should have the freedom to choose to attend initiation schools willingly.
Contralesa President Kgoshi Mathupa says those responsible for such actions should face prosecution.
Mathupa says, “I am so angry that after people were told not to do this, they are doing it. As Contralesa, we are saying the law must take its course, and we are going to make sure that we are friends of the courts in making sure that those perpetrators are dealt with severely because this is not our culture, this is abduction, it’s no more initiation practice.”
*This article was first published by SABC News
Parliament’s portfolio committee on tourism says South African Tourism has underperformed in its mandate to market the country and drive economic growth.
“With the organisational performance of South African Tourism (SAT) for the period under review [2024-25], it seems that the organisation does not fully appreciate the importance of the role it has to play in driving economic growth and creating job opportunities,” committee chairperson Ronalda Nalumango said on Tuesday.
“It is grossly unacceptable that for the fourth quarter, South African Tourism only achieved 89% of its 55 targets while overspending by R24.1 million on its allocated budget. This depicts 101% over expenditure of R1.45 billion of the R1.43 billion budget that was allocated to SA tourism,” Nalumango said, during a briefing by the agency on its fourth quarter performance report for 2024-25.
“It should be noted that the reported information is the combined efforts of the private sector and government through South African Tourism. It is therefore of paramount importance that South African tourism takes its mandate seriously and improves on its financial and non-financial performance.”
In 2024, the tourism sector contributed 8.8% to South Africa’s economy, valued at about R616 billion, and created 1.68 million jobs.
Based on the current performance, the sector has the potential to contribute 12.8% to the country’s economy by 2030 and create 2.23 million jobs, said Nalumango
International tourist arrivals increased by 5.1% to 8.9 million, with foreign spending contributing R91.6 billion to the economy. Domestic tourism also rose, with overnight trips increasing by 6.2% to 40.2 million and spending going up by 12.8% to R137 billion.
South African Tourism came under fire last week over allegations of corruption and irregular tender procurements, to the tune of R100 million, to host flagship trade events including Meeting Africa and Africa’s Travel Indaba.
Tourism Minister Patricia De Lille refuted these claims in a statement last week, saying that no such tender was finalised or awarded, and that two firms — Chapu Chartered Accountants and Abacus Financial Crime Advisory — were hired to investigate the process.
“Their findings were received, reviewed and informed internal consequence management actions. I have been informed by South African Tourism that the cost of both audits were less than R1 million,” De Lille said.
“Officials implicated in procedural violations were removed from procurement committees as part of an internal disciplinary process initiated in 2024. Disciplinary processes are under way.”
Last year, the minister removed two members of the agency’s executive — retaining them as board members only — who subsequently resigned along with four other board members. She cited her concerns about the number of meetings the board had held during the first half of 2024.
De Lille had appointed the new board in February 2024 after dissolving the previous one in April 2023 following its controversial proposals to spend R910 million sponsoring UK football club Tottenham Hotspur.
The parliament portfolio committee said that during the period under review, South African Tourism underperformed in four of its five programmes.
It achieved 75% of its corporate support targets with R2.6 million underspent, and 92% of its business enablement targets with R3.1 million underspent. In leisure and tourism marketing, it met 95% of targets but overspent by 55.9%. The business events programme met all eight targets, while the tourist experience programme met two of three targets with R11.8 million underspent.
“This performance is a serious cause for concern as the entity receives more than 50% of Vote 38 [the budget allocation for the tourism department] but it is failing to achieve its targets and underspending in almost all set targets,” said Nalumango.
“It’s also of serious concern that SAT did not achieve all the targets in programme three but are reporting to us that they overspent R55.9 million. The performance in programme four also does not make sense — SAT achieved all their targets but underspent 23.7%. In fact there are many things that do not make sense in the fourth quarter performance.”
She suggested that the agency does not have effective internal controls to track its financial and non-financial performance, and that it needs to “seriously” address issues relating to the internal audit function.
“Internal audit function should not just be directed towards the auditing process by the auditor general but should assist the organisation during the in-year execution of its mandate against the set targets and financial management.”
Board members will need to improve their oversight and consequence management to hold executives accountable, said the agency’s chairperson, Gregory Davids.
“We do have quarterly board meetings, and through our board sub-committee meetings we are interrogating all of these aspects [including] performance reports.”
First, we start with our annual performance plan for the year, which we use as our framework to keep the executives accountable … Consequence management in certain areas where there is huge non-performance has taken place.”
“As a board we are listening to portfolio committee members, there are areas we as a board must improve, but we are trying to, through our committees and regular meetings, to hold our executives accountable,” he added.
*This article was first published by The Mail & Guardian
As of July 1, Sweden has removed some of the restrictions for changing gender legally and how it appears on official documents.
After four years of waiting, Jenny Leonor Werner sees the light at the end of the tunnel, able to legally switch gender following a recent change to Swedish law.
As of July 1, Sweden has removed some of the restrictions for changing gender legally and how it appears on official documents.
"It just feels good -- one less thing to worry about," Werner, 22, who was declared male at birth but identifies as female, told AFP.
Now all that is needed to change is a medical certificate stating that a person's gender identity does not align with the one indicated on their birth certificate.
Healthcare professionals have to evaluate whether the change better reflects the person's gender identity and must ensure that the person can live with their new gender identity for the foreseeable future.
The minimum age to make the change has also been lowered from 18 to 16 years, although people under 18 need permission from their legal guardian.
A week after the law came into effect, 106 people had submitted applications, according to Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare.
Previously, individuals wanting to change their legal gender had to undergo a lengthy evaluation process in order to obtain a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
That is a condition where a person experiences distress as a result of a mismatch between the sex they were assigned at birth and the gender they identify themselves as having.
Werner had received this diagnosis in 2024 after a four-year process and could have already requested the legal change.
But healthcare staff advised her "to wait for the new law, as the process should be faster".
GENDER DYSPHORIA RISE
Access to surgical procedures is also simplified under the new law -- the requirement to first change one's legal gender has been removed.
Before the law was passed in April of last year, it was preceded by intense debates in parliament, with the right-wing ruling coalition government divided.
The Moderates and Liberals were in favour of the text but government partner the Christian Democrats opposed it, as did the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, which is propping up the government.
"This law is a major step forward. The separation of law and medicine in the new law makes things much easier," Frank Berglund, a policy expert at the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU), told AFP.
Berglund, 30, legally changed his gender at the age of 19.
Like Werner, it took him about four years to obtain the gender dysphoria diagnosis.
Currently, the waiting time to even begin an evaluation can stretch to several years, according to the National Board of Health and Welfare.
The health agency has also noted a sharp increase in cases of gender dysphoria, particularly among 13- to 17-year-olds who were "assigned female at birth".
The agency reported a 1,500-percent jump between 2008 and 2018.
Following the rapid increase and citing a need for caution, Swedish authorities decided in 2022 to halt hormone therapy for minors except in very rare cases.
They also limited mastectomies for teenagers wanting to transition.
SHORTER WAITING LISTS
Berglund said the new law would help "reduce waiting lists in healthcare to some extent".
He also welcomed the possibility of making the legal change before the age of 18, saying it was absurd that he had been able to complete the entire medical procedure before 18 but not the legal process.
"I had already changed my name, started hormone treatment and received the diagnosis," he said.
Werner recounted being asked: "Is this you?" when showing her identification card.
"Now I can get a new ID card that I'm really happy with," she said.
"I've never been satisfied with the ID cards and passports I've had before."
With the new law, Sweden is amending its gender identity legislation for the first time since it was first adopted in 1972.
Back then, the Nordic country became a world pioneer by allowing people to legally change their gender.
But campaigners want Sweden to go further and allow people to change their legal gender without requiring a medical certificate, as is the case in all other Nordic countries.
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
