IHAWU

06/08/2026

💚 IHAWU CARES

You care for others. Let us care for you.

Being a healthcare worker isn’t easy.

Behind every uniform is a human being who also experiences stress, burnout, grief, anxiety, workplace challenges, family pressures, financial worries, and emotional exhaustion.

Whether you are a student nurse, healthcare professional, support worker, or allied health professional, you do not have to face life’s challenges alone.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed…

If you need someone who understands the realities of healthcare…

If you need someone to simply listen…

If you’re struggling at work or in your personal life…

If you don’t know where to turn…

Reach out to IHAWU.

Our team will:
🤝 Listen without judgment
💚 Offer compassionate support
🧭 Help you navigate difficult situations
📋 Guide you through workplace challenges
📞 Refer you to appropriate professional services when needed

Sometimes the first step towards healing is simply talking to someone who understands.

You are not alone.

You matter.

Your wellbeing matters.

📞 CONTACT IHAWU

📍 Marlborough House
127 Fox Street, Johannesburg

📧 [email protected]
📧 [email protected]

🌐 www.ihawu.org.za

☎ Member Line: 065 922 5253

☎ Case Line: 075 947 4924

06/08/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

IHAWU EXTENDS ITS DEEPEST CONDOLENCES FOLLOWING THE TRAGIC PASSING OF A NURSING STUDENT AT CHRIS HANI BARAGWANATH NURSING COLLEGE

06 August 2026

The Independent Health and Allied Workers Union (IHAWU) is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a first-year nursing student from Chris Hani Baragwanath Nursing College. We extend our heartfelt and sincere condolences to her family, loved ones, fellow students, lecturers, and everyone who has been affected by this devastating loss.

The passing of a young person who had dedicated her life to answering the noble calling of nursing is a profound tragedy. At a time when South Africa desperately needs compassionate healthcare professionals, the loss of one of our future nurses is felt by the entire nursing fraternity.

We acknowledge the statement issued by the Gauteng Department of Health indicating that the South African Police Service is investigating the circumstances surrounding this unfortunate incident. IHAWU welcomes this commitment and calls for a thorough, transparent, impartial, and expeditious investigation. We urge all stakeholders to allow the investigative process to unfold without speculation or premature conclusions regarding the cause of death.

The family deserves truthful answers, and the public deserves confidence that every aspect surrounding this tragedy will be investigated with integrity and professionalism.

While the investigation proceeds, this heartbreaking incident should also serve as an opportunity for serious reflection on the living conditions and safety of student nurses residing in nursing college residences across Gauteng.

For many years, concerns have been raised regarding the condition of some student residences, including issues relating to infrastructure, maintenance, security, access control, emergency response systems, mental health support, and the overall wellbeing of students living away from their families. Regardless of the outcome of the current investigation, these concerns warrant urgent attention.

IHAWU therefore calls upon the Gauteng Department of Health to undertake a comprehensive review of all nursing student residences across the province to ensure that they provide:

* Safe and secure accommodation with adequate security measures.
* Dignified and well-maintained living conditions.
* Accessible psychosocial and mental health support services.
* Functional emergency response and reporting mechanisms.
* Regular inspections to ensure compliance with health, safety and accommodation standards.

Our student nurses are not merely students; they are the future custodians of South Africa’s healthcare system. They deserve environments that protect their safety, preserve their dignity, and support both their academic journey and emotional wellbeing.

We also encourage students who may be experiencing emotional distress following this incident to make use of the counselling and psychosocial support services made available by the Gauteng Department of Health and their respective institutions. No student should suffer in silence.

As a union committed to protecting healthcare workers and future healthcare professionals, IHAWU stands in solidarity with the bereaved family, fellow students, lecturers, and the broader nursing community during this difficult period.

May the family find strength, comfort, and peace in the days ahead, and may the memory of this young student continue to inspire compassion and service to humanity.

“An injury to one healthcare worker is an injury to the entire profession. The loss of one future nurse is a loss to the nation.”

Issued by:
Independent Health and Allied Workers Union (IHAWU)

Contact Persons

Lerato Mthunzi | Rich Sicina
0658230082 | 0606821672

Marlborough House | 127 Fox Street | Jhb
(next to CCMA)

𝕁𝕆𝕀ℕ𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝕀ℍ𝔸𝕎𝕌:
Join online via the link below 👇🏽

https://ihawu.org.za/online-membership-form/

Member Support Contacts:
member line: 0659225253
case line: 0759474924
email: [email protected]
website: www.ihawu.org.za

14/07/2026

Applications for nursing bursaries are open at https://nursingintake.gauteng.gov.za/PublicNursing/WelcomeNursing.aspx

11/07/2026

MEDIA STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

09 July 2026

IHAWU WELCOMES SANC’S THIRD-YEAR IMPLEMENTATION OF CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) AND CALLS FOR A NATIONAL DIGITAL CPD PLATFORM

The Independent Health and Allied Workers Union (IHAWU) welcomes the South African Nursing Council’s (SANC) Circular 08/2026 announcing the third year of the phased implementation of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) framework for nurses and midwives.

As one of the officially recognised stakeholders identified by SANC in this important national initiative, IHAWU is honoured to stand alongside government, professional bodies, educational institutions and healthcare organisations in advancing a culture of lifelong learning, professional excellence and patient safety.

Healthcare is one of the fastest evolving professions in the world. New diseases emerge, treatment guidelines are updated, technologies continue to revolutionise healthcare delivery and evidence-based practice evolves almost daily. It is therefore impossible for healthcare professionals to rely solely on the knowledge acquired during their initial nursing education. Continuous learning has become a professional obligation, an ethical responsibility and an essential pillar of quality healthcare.

For this reason, IHAWU wholeheartedly endorses the implementation of Continuing Professional Development.

CPD is far more than a regulatory requirement or the accumulation of points.

It is an investment in people.

It is an investment in safer healthcare.

It is an investment in the future of the nursing profession.

Every workshop attended, every accredited course completed, every clinical update studied and every new competency acquired contributes directly to improved patient care. Continuous professional development strengthens clinical judgement, enhances critical thinking, promotes evidence-based practice, reinforces ethical decision-making, improves infection prevention and control, develops leadership capacity and ensures that healthcare professionals remain competent, confident and accountable throughout their careers.

Ultimately, patients are the greatest beneficiaries of a well-trained and continuously developing healthcare workforce.

Professional development also opens doors to career progression, specialist practice, education, research, management, policy development and executive leadership. It equips healthcare workers with the skills necessary to adapt to changing healthcare demands while increasing professional confidence, employability and mobility.

As a union that exists to protect and advance healthcare workers, IHAWU firmly believes that every healthcare professional deserves equal access to quality education throughout their career, regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector, an urban hospital or a rural clinic.

Healthcare workers who continue learning become better clinicians.

Better clinicians provide safer care.

Safer care saves lives.

While welcoming this progressive initiative, IHAWU calls upon employers in both the public and private healthcare sectors to actively support the implementation of CPD. Professional development should never become an unfunded burden carried solely by already overstretched healthcare workers.

Healthcare institutions must provide protected learning time, improve access to accredited CPD programmes, reduce financial barriers to training, encourage mentorship, promote workplace learning and recognise continuous education as a fundamental component of quality healthcare and organisational excellence.

A National Digital CPD Platform is the Next Logical Step

While IHAWU applauds SANC for reaching the third year of implementation, we believe the next phase must focus on digital transformation.

We call upon the South African Nursing Council to urgently develop and implement a secure, integrated and user-friendly National Digital CPD Platform that enables every registered nurse and midwife to manage their professional development electronically.

The future of professional regulation is digital.

South Africa has an opportunity to build a modern CPD ecosystem that is efficient, paperless, transparent and accessible to every healthcare professional across all nine provinces.

A national digital platform should enable healthcare professionals to:

• Access their CPD profile anytime, anywhere and on any device.

• Complete accredited CPD activities online.

• Automatically record and calculate CPD points.

• Receive digital certificates immediately upon completion of accredited learning activities.

• Maintain an electronic professional portfolio.

• Track compliance through a personalised dashboard.

• Receive automated reminders before renewal and compliance deadlines.

• Allow employers and SANC to verify compliance electronically.

• Eliminate unnecessary paperwork and administrative delays.

• Securely store professional records through cloud-based technology.

Digitalisation is no longer a luxury; it is an international best practice.

Many professional regulators across the world have embraced digital CPD systems because they improve efficiency, reduce administrative costs, enhance transparency, strengthen accountability and make lifelong learning more accessible to professionals regardless of where they practise.

South Africa should position itself among these progressive regulatory systems.

A digital CPD platform would also generate valuable national data to assist SANC and the Department of Health in workforce planning, identifying skills gaps, monitoring compliance and directing future education priorities.

Most importantly, it would ensure that every healthcare worker, whether practising in a metropolitan academic hospital or a remote rural clinic, enjoys equal access to professional development opportunities.

IHAWU further recommends that this platform ultimately integrate with SANC’s online registration system, allowing practitioners to access their registration status, CPD records, renewal dates and professional portfolio from a single secure digital portal.

Such an investment would modernise professional regulation, improve service delivery and strengthen South Africa’s healthcare system for generations to come.

Our Commitment

As IHAWU, we reaffirm our commitment to working collaboratively with SANC, the National Department of Health, provincial departments, employers, academic institutions and all recognised stakeholders to ensure that the implementation of CPD is successful, equitable, practical and accessible.

The Union will continue advocating for affordable, high-quality CPD opportunities and strategic partnerships that expand access to meaningful professional development for all healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers deserve every opportunity to grow professionally.

Patients deserve competent, knowledgeable and confident healthcare professionals.

South Africa deserves a healthcare system built on excellence, innovation and lifelong learning.

We therefore commend the South African Nursing Council for this important milestone and look forward to supporting the successful implementation of a modern CPD system that strengthens the nursing profession, protects the public and improves healthcare outcomes for all South Africans.

Ends.

⸻

Issued by

Independent Health and Allied Workers Union (IHAWU)

Media Enquiries

Lerato Mthunzi
📱 WhatsApp: 067 196 7622

Rich Sicina
📞 Call: 060 682 1672

📧 Email: [email protected]

🌐 Website: www.ihawu.org.za

10/07/2026

09/07/2026

NEW OFFICE ALERT 🚨

Address:
Marlborough House | 127 Fox Street | Jhb
(next to CCMA)

whatsapp: 0671967622
email: [email protected]
website: www.ihawu.org.za

𝕁𝕆𝕀ℕ𝕀ℕ𝔾 𝕀ℍ𝔸𝕎𝕌 𝕀𝕊 𝔼𝔸𝕊𝕐 ℙ𝔼𝔸𝕊𝕐!
Join online via the link below 👇🏽

https://ihawu.org.za/online-membership-form/

08/07/2026

Healthworkers, just a quick one...

Do you see any improvements?
Do you demand identification now?
Are queues shorter in your facilities?

13/04/2026

MEDIA STATEMENT IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE CIC OF THE EFF, Julius Sello Malema

The Independent Health and Allied Workers Union stands firmly behind Julius Malema during this critical moment, recognising that what he faces is not isolated, but follows a well-established pattern in South Africa’s history where voices that challenge economic injustice and speak for the Black majority are subjected to sustained persecution.

This pattern is not new. Leaders of the Black Consciousness Movement, such as Steve Biko, were harassed, banned, imprisoned, and ultimately silenced because they mobilised Black people towards psychological and economic liberation. Today, the methods may differ in form, but the objective remains the same, to neutralise those who threaten entrenched power.

The Economic Freedom Fighters has, since its formation, carried forward this tradition of confronting inequality head-on. In 2020, declared by the EFF as the Year of Public Health, the organisation elevated the struggles of healthcare workers and exposed the deep crisis within public health institutions. Through oversight visits, protests, and community mobilisation, the realities of staff shortages, collapsing infrastructure, and unsafe working conditions were brought to the forefront, giving both workers and communities a platform that had long been denied.

The EFF has consistently stood with student nurses and young professionals fighting for access and fair treatment. It has supported community service workers facing systemic exclusion and uncertainty. It has been visible in struggles involving security personnel, cleaning staff and EPWP workers who continue to endure exploitation and precarious labour conditions. Through its Labour Desk, the EFF has intervened in numerous cases of workplace injustice, defending workers against unfair dismissal and abuse.

What distinguishes this movement is not theory, but presence. Communities and workers know that even when they do not vote for the EFF, when crisis strikes, the organisation shows up.

As IHAWU, we are equally concerned about the broader attack on independent labour formations. Across the country, unions and worker-led movements that refuse to be co-opted are increasingly marginalised, undermined, or targeted. This reflects a systemic mode of operation designed to weaken organised labour and silence voices that advocate for genuine economic transformation and Black excellence in both political and activist spaces.

The targeting of Julius Malema must therefore be understood within this broader context. When leaders articulate uncomfortable truths about land, wealth, and inequality, they inevitably become targets. When independent unions organise outside of dominant power structures, they too face resistance.

These attacks send a dangerous message to young South Africans. They suggest that those who choose the path of activism or political leadership, especially in defence of the poor and working class, must be prepared to face isolation, persecution, and systematic pushback. This risks discouraging a new generation of leaders from standing up, speaking out, and participating in shaping the future of this country.

South Africa cannot afford a future where young people are silenced before they even begin. A democracy must nurture, not intimidate, those who seek to lead and challenge injustice.

We reject this pattern.

We assert that the struggle for workers’ rights, dignity, and economic justice cannot be separated from the struggle to protect bold and uncompromising leadership.

We stand with Julius Malema not out of blind loyalty, but because his work continues to inspire and reinforce the daily struggles of workers and communities we represent.

An injury to one is an injury to all.

ENDS

Issued by:
IHAWU - Independent Health and Allied Workers Union

Contacts:
Lerato Mthunzi 0658230082
Rich Sicina 0606821672
[email protected]

A united, militant and democratic front of healthcare and allied workers, fearlessly defending the dignity, rights and wellbeing of those who serve at the heart of our health and social development department.

01/04/2026

MEDIA STATEMENT BY IHAWU ON THE GAUTENG CABINET RESHUFFLE

The Independent Health and Allied Workers Union (IHAWU) notes the recent cabinet reshuffle announced by Panyaza Lesufi, which has resulted in the removal of Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko from the Department of Health.

While IHAWU welcomes her removal from the Department of Health as a long overdue and necessary intervention, the union does not welcome her redeployment to the Department of Social Development. This position is informed by our responsibility to defend both sectors in which we organise and to safeguard the integrity of public service delivery.

The removal of Ralehoko must be understood within the context of serious and sustained governance failures that defined her tenure. Healthcare workers have consistently raised concerns about deteriorating working conditions, chronic understaffing, collapsing infrastructure and a leadership approach that failed to respond decisively to the deepening crisis in public health.

Of particular concern to IHAWU has been her continued defence and political backing of Dr Lesiba Malotana despite serious allegations and red flags raised through official processes, including lifestyle audits and corruption linked investigations. Such conduct raised fundamental questions about accountability, ethical leadership and commitment to clean governance within the Department of Health. It contributed to a climate where workers felt unheard and where governance failures persisted without consequence.

Her tenure has been marked by ongoing instability in healthcare facilities, worsening staff shortages, declining infrastructure and persistent financial mismanagement. These conditions have directly impacted both healthcare workers and the communities they serve, further eroding confidence in the department. Taken together, these realities reflect a pattern of leadership failure that made her removal both necessary and justified.

IHAWU notes the appointment of Faith Mazibuko as the new MEC for Health. This appointment presents an opportunity for a decisive reset and the union expects urgent and measurable interventions to stabilise the department, improve working conditions and restore accountability. The appointment of Nkululeko Dunga as MEC for Finance is further recognised as a significant political development. It has the potential to strengthen financial oversight and ensure greater accountability in the management of public resources, particularly within the health sector.

As a union organising in both Health and Social Development, IHAWU expresses deep concern regarding the decision to redeploy Ralehoko to Social Development. We do not accept that Social Development should become a repository for leadership that has failed in other departments. This sector is already under immense pressure and plays a critical role in supporting the most vulnerable in society. It must be protected from instability, poor governance and any form of regression.

IHAWU will closely monitor developments within the Department of Social Development to ensure that the challenges experienced in Health are not transferred into this sector. We remain resolute that Social Development must remain untainted, protected and governed with integrity in order to fulfil its mandate effectively. The union stands ready to engage constructively where necessary, but will not hesitate to confront any actions that undermine service delivery, workers’ rights or institutional accountability.

IHAWU maintains that this reshuffle must not be cosmetic. It must mark the beginning of real accountability, consequence management and measurable change in the public service. Public institutions must not become recycling centres for failed leadership. The removal of Ralehoko from Health must signal a decisive break from past failures, not their relocation.

Issued by
Independent Health and Allied Workers Union (IHAWU)

Contact Person(s):
Lerato Mthunzi | Rich Sicina
0658230082 | 0606821672
[email protected]
www.ihawu.org.za

26/03/2026