GQEBERHA – The Public Servants Association has condemned the eviction of nurses from Livingstone Hospital Nurses’ Home by the Eastern Cape Department of Health, describing the action as unfair and inhumane.
The union has raised concerns that similar evictions are being planned at Dora Nginza Hospital, with reports suggesting the department approached the courts in October 2025 without serving court papers on the PSA, despite the organisation representing affected nurses.
The PSA said the failure to follow due process raises serious concerns regarding procedural fairness and transparency, and could destabilise already strained healthcare services.
The association has rejected attempts by the department to link nurses residing in the accommodation with alleged criminal activities, including break-ins and the theft of laptops on hospital premises. The PSA described these allegations as serious, damaging, and an unjustified attack on the integrity and professionalism of healthcare workers.
According to the PSA, illegal occupants with no employment relationship to the department are residing in the Nurses’ Home. Some occupants were appointed on short-term contracts during the COVID-19 period and had their contracts terminated several years ago, yet continue to occupy the accommodation, often without paying rent.
The union said the department’s failure to address these illegal occupations raises questions about selective enforcement and poor management oversight.
The PSA previously demanded accountability from management regarding the theft of approximately 30 laptops in late 2022, an incident the union said was never properly reported, investigated, or concluded transparently. The association said linking these unresolved incidents to nurses whilst ignoring illegal occupants is reckless and unacceptable.
The PSA has demanded that the Department of Health produce clear and verifiable evidence to substantiate its allegations against nurses. The union is calling for immediate intervention by the Head of Department and the MEC for Health to halt and reverse the actions against healthcare workers.
