NCOP
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 113
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 24 February 2012
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 02)
Mrs E C van Lingen (DA-EC) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1) Whether any nurses in the (a) Eastern Cape and (b) Cacadu District
Municipality have not received their salaries in (i) January and (ii)
February 2012; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so,
(aa) why and (bb) when will they be paid;
(2) whether any nurses in the (a) Eastern Cape and (b) Cacadu District
Municipality are still contractual workers of the provincial
department; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, how many
nurses;
(3) what are the differences in benefits between (a) contractual and (b)
permanent nurses;
(4) whether his department will transfer the employment contracts of
these nurses from contractual to permanent; if not, why not; if so,
(a) when and (b) what are the procedures to be followed?
CW159E
REPLY:
1) Some of the employees, including nurses in Cacadu and other areas
within the Eastern Cape, could not be paid timeously due to non-
submission of employment documents on time. That resulted in delays in
the processing of payments by the department. The department has by
now sorted the payment of nurses.
2) There are nurses who are employed on contractual basis in the Eastern
Cape, including Cacadu. These are those nurses who are doing a one-
year community service and they are contracted for that particular
year. Secondly there is a group of nursing practitioners who were
transferred and absorbed by the department from the individual
municipalities through processes of provincialisation. Such groups
were transferred based on their nature of appointments with the
individual municipalities. Lastly, there are groups of retired nurses
who have been contracted to perform functions/duties relating to
nursing education, TB, HIV and AIDS, etc. This last group of employees
(retired nurses) has been contracted due to death of qualified nursing
practitioners.
Tabulation of number of nurses is listed hereunder:
|Whole Eastern Cape Province |Cacadu District Municipality |
|Designation |Number |Designation |Number |
|Professional |660 |Professional |59 |
|Nurse | |Nurse | |
|Staff Nurse |71 |Staff Nurse |3 |
|Nursing |82 |Nursing Assistant|3 |
|Assistant | | | |
|Grand Total |813 | |65 |
3) A contractual appointment has a specific term of employment in
relation to a signed contract. Secondly, contractual employees who are
appointed for a period above six months have an option of choosing 37%
in lieu of benefits (housing allowance, pension, service bonus and
medical aid) or being treated as permanent employees whereby specific
payments will be made on monthly basis, depending on submission of
proof that an employee is a member of a medical aid, or has a housing
allowance. Pension is deducted monthly and Government contributions
are paid monthly to GEPF with regard to permanent employees.
4) Employees who are doing community service may be absorbed into vacant
posts depending on the availability of funds and posts. Furthermore,
these employees are expected to indicate their interest in employment
within the Eastern Cape by completing application forms. The Heads of
Institutions have the responsibility to recruit the community service
practitioners towards the expiry of contracts. Retired nurses are
appointed on a six-months contract and they cannot be appointed on a
permanent basis.
END.