MPUMALANGA — Post-mortem services in Mpumalanga and several other South African provinces have ground to a halt as forensic pathology officers launch a “knives and needles down” campaign, demanding better pay, professional recognition, and improved working conditions.
The industrial action, which began on Monday, means autopsies are being severely affected. Workers are still reporting for duty and handling administrative tasks, body collections, and returns to families, but are refusing to perform dissections and related medical procedures.
Welcome Mnisi, provincial secretary of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in Mpumalanga, said workers had been left with no choice after protracted engagements with the Department of Health and bargaining councils failed to resolve their demands.
“Nehawu and the employer, the national department of health, have been on discussions about matters involving forensic pathology officers in terms of their conditions of service,” Mnisi said. “These discussions have not been yielding positive results at the bargaining council.”
Key demands include an increase in the dissection allowance to R5,000, a higher special danger allowance, and the removal of forensic pathology officers from the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) to allow them to benefit appropriately. Mnisi noted that officers currently receive only about R746 per month for performing dissections — far below minimum wage.
In Mpumalanga, additional grievances include severe staff shortages, unsafe working environments, lack of personal protective equipment and uniforms, and infrastructural challenges.
Mnisi stressed that the campaign is “not a strike per se but a picket,” with workers demonstrating during lunch hours. However, he acknowledged that backlogs are emerging.
“What might be happening now is that you might find there’s a backlog,” he said. “There is no employee that can do work which is not paid for. These workers are exploited on a daily basis.”
Reports indicate that at least 12 bodies remain unattended at one facility and two at another, including young initiates who died during initiation seasons. Mnisi referred questions about specific body counts to the Department of Health but confirmed that work is progressing slowly on disputed tasks.
The union met with the minister last week, and a special bargaining council meeting has been scheduled for May 27, 2026, at 2:00 PM to seek resolution. A national forensic pathology meeting will be held on Wednesday to give feedback to all nine provinces.
Mnisi appealed to the public for understanding: “Nehawu is a transformative organization. Our members and leaders are also members of society. We are also affected when services are not rendered accordingly. It is painful to members of the community because we are also members of the community ourselves.”
He added that low staff morale, unfilled vacancies, and overloaded workers are compromising healthcare service delivery. “When an employee’s morale is very low, that person is not going to contribute positively in terms of service delivery.”
The union remains hopeful that the upcoming meetings will resolve the dispute and prevent further disruption.
