Akanakekelwe umhlengikazi weminyaka wuHulumeni
Uma ezeka lolu daba kubonakala emehlweni ukudumala kwakhe ngendlela asephathwa ngayo ngumnyango anikela impilo yakhe yonke yobusha bakhe evuka ekuseni kusempondozamneke, eguduza ngezitimela ephikelele ukuyohlenga umphakathi waboHlanga. Lona nguNkk uNontsikelelo Shabalala (uKaMashalaba) owabe eluqweqwe lomhlengikazi namuhla osevalelwa yonke iminyango uma ecela usizo.
“Okungiphatha kabi kakhulu wukubona abantu abanye abancane sebengiphendula uteku nxa ngizobeka udaba lwami. Ezinye izikhulu zidonse ngendlebe izisebenzi ezingaphansi kwazo ukuthi azithi azikho uma sengifikile ngoba zingafisi ukubhekana nami ngoba sengiwuhlupho kubo.” kubeka lusizi umama uShabalala.
Selokhu athatha umhlalaphansi ngonyaka we-1990 ephoqwa yisimo sokungenwa yi-athritis emadolweni womabili. Lokhu kwamenza ukuthi angakwazi ukuqhubeka nalo msebenzi ngenxa yokuthi kuyamiwa kulo msebenzi wobuhlengikazi. Okufike kube buhlungu wukuthi iphelile manje iminyaka engamashumi amabili nesithupha egqigqa emahhovisi oMnyango Wezempilo ngenhloso yokuthola imali yakhe yomhlalaphansi aselokhu ayisebenzela kusukela ngonyaka we-1961 kuze kube uhlala phansi ngenxa yokugula ngowe-1990.
Izibhedlela asebenze kuzo kubalwa kuzo iChris Hani Baragwanath lapho aqeqeshwa waphothula khona izifundo zeGeneral Nursing; iseWentworth nakwaDabeka Clinic. Zikhona nezinye ngaphandle kwalezi. Ezifikele emahhovisi elaboHlanga uthe: “Ngiwusebenzele kanzima lo Mnyango Wezempilo osudlala ngami namhlanje. Endaweni yaseMatendeni eNewtown C, eBothas Hill, eMawoti naseMawotana kunemitholampilo eyaqalwa yimi, ngisebenza ngaphansi kukaNkk uChatsworth noWison ababengamele imitholampilo. Ngangimenywa ngiyokhuluma nasezindlini zokusakaza eThekwini kusewuRadio Zulu ngiyoqwashisa umphakathi waseNingizimu Afrika okhuluma izilimi ezehlukene ohlelweni lukaNks uWinnie Mahlangu ngizoxwayisa ngesifo senhliziyo (Rheumatic Heart Disease) kusuka kubantwana kuze kuyofika kwabadala’, kuqhuba uNkk uShabalala.
Uvezele elaboHlanga ubufakazi bokugqigqa kwakhe wonke amahhovisi wakhululuma nanezikhulu zikaHulumeni Wesifundazwe ezifaka phakathi uMphathiswa Wezempilo uDokotela uSbongiseni Dhlomo. Omunye ozame kakhulu ukumsiza wubaba uMahlathi Tembe oseHhovisi likaNdunankulu Wesifundazwe sakwaZulu-Natal naye owakhathala endleleni. Umkhondo ulandeleka uphelele endleleni, labo ababhekele impesheni yabahlengikazi babike imbiba nebuzi bangaphumi ekweneni.
Okubuhlungu kakhulu ngodaba lwakaShabalala wukuthi ezinyangeni ezimbalwa ezedlule bashonelwe yindodana yaleli khaya uSizwe ofe ngokulinyazwa ePhayindane. Indodana kaSizwe efunda Kloof High School isiwutaku lukamama nobaba uShabalala. “Ngihamba kabuhlungu kodwa ngiyehliswa ngiyenyuswa emahhovisi ahlulekayo ukungisiza”, kusho umama zehla njengempophoma izinyembezi.
UNkosikazi uNontsikelelo Shabalala akalona nje ivukana lomhlengikazi kodwa ungumuntu owakukhuthalela ukufunda agogode kulo mkhakha wobuhlengikazi. Wafundela ukubelethisa eBridgeman Memorial Hospital eBrixton eGoli, wadlulela e-University of South Africa, lapho athola khona iqhuzu likaBachelor of Arts Curationis egxile ezifundweni zokusiza umphakathi ngokwezempilo nokuphathwa komsebenzi kanye nokufundiswa kwabahlengikazi. Uphinde wafunda wagogoda ngokweluleka ngesifo sengculaza negciwane layo eMcCords Hospital eThekwini. Uzishaya isifuba ngokuba ngumhlengikazi wokuqala ukushayela ikiliniki elingumahambanendlwana ehambisa usizo lezokwelashwa ezindaweni okwakungaphushwa ukuthi ziyoke zibe nemitholampilo esebenza eMtholampilo wakwaDabeka.
Emahhovisi asewacushile uNkk uShabalala ezama ukuthola usizo ehhovisi likaMnu uMdleko ophethe abasebenzi eWentworth Hospital; neNatalia House eMgungundlovu lapho kudluliselwa khona izikhalo ngezimpesheni zabahlengikazi. UNkk uShabalala usezame ngokungenampumelelo ukudlulisela udaba lwakhe kubammeli. Useke wazama nokubhalisela impesheni yokuguga okwathi kungatholakala ukuthi kanti ugane uMnu uShabalala obewumsakazi bayivala nayeseke wayemukela yezinyanga ezine waphoqwa ukuthi ayibuyisele kwaSASSA.
“Abantu engifisa kube khona abakwenzayo ngodaba lwami wuMnyango Wezempilo. Akulona iqiniso ukuthi eminyakeni yami yokukhula, ngingaphilile nokwenza kodwa ngehliswe ngenyuswa ngingatholi lusizo. Kubuhlungu kakhulu ukutshelwa ukuthi imininingwane yokusebenza kwami ayitholakali”, kuphetha uNkosikazi uShabalala. IBAYEDE inazo izincwadi eziveza inombolo kaNkosikazi uShabalala yokusebenza kanjalo nemali eyayibanjwa, nayeyihola.
Leli phephandaba lingaphinde liqinisekise ukuthi uNkk uShabalala akaziyekelanga ukusebenza, njengoba kunencwadi eqhamuka eMnyangweni Wezempilo eshicilelwe nguMnu uL.J. Pretorius owayeqhoqhobele lesi sikhundla ngowe-1990, eveza ngokusobala ukuthi uNkk uTshabalala wayekiswa ukusebenza ngenxa yesimo sezempilo esasingesihle. Le ncwadi eveza konke lokhu yashicilelwa zingama-27 kuNtulikazi we-1990.
“Izikhulu bezihlangene zathatha isinqumo sokuthi umsebenzi ongenhla (uNkk uShabalala) akamiswe ngokuphelele emsebenzini awenzayo ngenxa yesimo sempilo esingesihle. Ngokukhulu ukuphuthuma ibhodi lesibhedlela kuzomele libukisise umbiko ngalesi sisebenzi akhululwe, kuphinde kugcwaliswe incwadi kaHulumeni iZ83,” kusho le ncwadi eshicilelwe uSuperintendent wesibhedlela iWentworth uMnu uL.J Pretorius.
Incwadi ephuma eMnyangweni Wezempilo eshicilelwe ngu-A.G Nothnagel owayeyimenenja kaPensioner Maintenance and Funeral Benefit Employees Pension Fund, ayibhala zingama-29 kuMbasa ngowezi-2015 ikuphika ilala ngomhlane ukuthi uNkk uShabalala wake wasebenza esibhedlela iWentworth kusuka ngowe-1986 kuya kowe-1990. Empeleni le ncwadi iveza ukuthi awekho amarekhodi athi wake wayingxenye yabasebenzi noma wake wafaka imali yesibonelelo (Government Employee Pension Fund). Okufike kuxake nokho ukuthi le ncwadi ithi uNkk uShabalala wakhokhelwa isheke elinezinombolo ezithi G023368 nethi O23369. Leli sheke kuthiwa lamkhokhela imali eyizi-R2,210.68, okuyimali eyakhokhwa zimbili kuZibandlela we-1985.