Esidimeni arbitration hearings likely to cost Gauteng R47m

Gauteng has spent R15.7m on the Esidimeni arbitration hearings and is expecting to pay R47m for all the costs of this alternative dispute-resolution process.

Striking forensic pathology workers in the province, meanwhile, have to return to work after a court granted an interdict against their strike.

The cost of the Esidimeni hearings was disclosed to DA MPL Jack Bloom by Gauteng Premier David Makhura in a written reply to questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

According to figures provided in the reply‚ the provincial treasury had allocated R13.6m for Esidimeni-related expenses in the financial year ending on March 31‚ but R15.7m was spent by February 12 2016‚ leaving a deficit of R2.1m.

More than half was spent on the Emoyeni Conference Centre as the venue for the hearings‚ which cost R8.4m.

“This is excessive‚ bearing in mind that Emoyeni is owned by the provincial government, which has an arrangement with a private company to rent it out,” Bloom said on Sunday.

He said it remained to be seen if enough had been budgeted to cover the financial award that former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke will be announcing on Monday for the relatives of those who died.

In terms of the industrial action, forensic pathology officers‚ mainly those based at the Germiston facility‚ were striking over a bonus dispute and allegedly unfulfilled promises after their strike in June 2017.

The striking employees are demanding payment of performance bonuses for the 2016 and 2017 financial years. The Gauteng department of health applied for a court interdict on Thursday. The interdict was served on Friday, which ordered officials to go back to work with “immediate effect”.

Bloom previously said there were 65 bodies piled up at the Germiston mortuary because of the strike.

The striking forensic pathology workers are members of trade unions the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union, the Public Servants Association, the Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of SA and the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers.

All the unions whose members were involved in the strike had said: “We hope that the communities will understand that the action to shut down will be our last resort.

“It’s the only language that the government has come to understand‚ unfortunately.”