NEHAWU is deeply angered and appalled by the assault of nursing students by the private security firm, the Red Jackets and the police that left 3 of them injured and over 50 arrested at the Western Cape College of Nursing (WCCN) today.

We condemn the violence and the brutality that was meted out to students by the Red Jackets and we demand the student’s immediate release and the resignation of Mr Govan, the Head of WCCN because of his incompetence and mismanagement of everything at the college.

We find it unacceptable that these police resources are readily available to repress and silence the voices of the honest, hardworking men, women and students of this country but are nowhere to be found when the working class communities need protection from criminals and drug dealers.

The union blames  the management of Cape Peninsula University of Technology{CPUT} and Department of Health{DOH} who have dismally failed to address a myriad of problems which were brought to their attention by the students. 

The management has to take sole responsibility for the injuries and trauma that was experienced by the students and staff members at the institution because yesterday they authorized the police to arrest any students on the college premises who were not in the classes. It is not a criminal offence not to attend classes.

This dictatorial predisposition and apartheid tactics are not going to help address the shortage of trained nursing stuff nor are they going to force students to accept their deplorable learning conditions.

Private hospitals like Medi-clinic are now importing specialist nursing staff from India whilst the WCCN is hiring and deploying overzealous and thuggish security firms and police to silence the students through intimidation and violence

The management continues to deny that there are problems with teaching and learning despite the fact that last year more than three quarter of the mid-wifely class failed their exams. This is both a dereliction of duty and a travesty of justice by the management and the union will not sit idle while the workers and working class students are treated like second class citizens in their own country.