Special Hearings — Health Sector Hearings — 1997-06-18

MS MKHIZE: We will now be listening to DeNOSA.  While they are coming forward I would just like to make a comment which will apply to DeNOSA, NAMDA, OASSA and HHRP, that we will really appreciate it if they try not to repeat what other people have said, especially the work which has been referred to many times, but to highlight those aspects which are unique to their organisations.  Thank you very much.
 I will ask the two of you to stand up, read out your names so that you can take an oath.

MARY MOLEKO: (sworn states)

SHEILA CLOW: (sworn states)

MS MKHIZE: Thank you.  Miss Wildschut will assist you in presenting your submission.

UNKNOWN: Welcome, may I add my welcome to that of the Chair.  I am not quite sure, I am quiet because I am not quite sure what is happening in front of me, so I don't know if this is going to be part of the presentation or - okay alright.  Please go ahead and present your submission to us.

SHEILA CLOW: Thank you, and thank you to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the opportunity for us to present.
 DeNOSA, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa was constituted in 1995.  At present our top leadership and top management are attending the International Council of Nurses Quadrennial Congress in Vancouver where DeNOSA will be admitted to the ICN and the Commonwealth Nurses Federation, as the organisation representing South African nurses. 
 It is unfortunate that they cannot be here to make this presentation but this prior commitment was made known to the Health Sector Task Group as soon as the dates were set for these hearings.
 Professor Feldun Zimande, Chair of the Joint National Board of DeNOSA and President elect will make introductory comments via a pre-recorded video tape, and thereafter Mrs Mary Moleko and I, members of the Executive Committee of the Joint National Board, will continue the submission on Nursing.

UNKNOWN: Thank you.  I always knew nurses were innovative.
VIDEO SHOWN AND PROFESSOR ZIMANDE ADDRESSES

PROF ZIMANDE: The submission made to the TRC today is a preliminary submission by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa, DeNOSA, which represents plus/minus 100,000 nurses in South Africa of all categories.
 This submission aims to provide background information about the organisation; to provide overall context within which the submissions occur; to outline the parameters of our relations identified at this preliminary stage.
 (...indistinct) reflects the personnel and the experiences and perceptions of the (...indistinct). (...indistinct) made today will only provide broad categories and areas whereby (...indistinct) to the rights of nurses were entered.
 DeNOSA is a professional and a labour organisation representing more than 100,000 nurses.  Organisations that form DeNOSA are TRANA, PNINA(?), SINA, BONA, KNO, (...indistinct), SANA and CONSA.
 In November 1996 all these organisations unified thus forming one very strong organisation in South Africa.  They thus shared their assets and their membership.  The organisation has just gone through the first democratic elections in the country of the nursing profession and the boards that have come out as a result of these elections, that's the national and provincial board, we start operating in July.
 For the nurses of South Africa the process of unification and transformation is a major step.  It is therefore of great concern that these submissions that have been made today will not harm and destroy the unity that is being developed. 
 DeNOSA submits that the input of apartheid legislation constituted gross violations to the rights of nurses and nursing in South Africa.  In all our submissions that are being made today we cover areas like violations of human rights of nurses and the nursing profession as a whole; of nurses as women, nurses as men; nurses as health care givers and nurses within the nursing education.
 The intention of DeNOSA is to develop and initiate, with assistance of the support from the TRC a reconciliation and a re-correction process that would meaningfully explore and expose past injustices within the nursing profession.   Having made these introductory remarks a full submission will be presented shortly.
VIDEO ADDRESS ENDS

UNKNOWN: Sheila could we ask you to just highlight the aspects of your preliminary presentation because we do know that you are going to give a much fuller presentation later on in writing.