More than a year after a Johannesburg woman was attacked and raped at Helen Joseph hospital, she can hardly afford to pay her bills.
Bongiwe Mnguni was a nurse at the hospital when she was attacked while on duty.
She was electrocuted, choked and raped.
Now Mnguni receives 75% of her salary after she was placed on temporary disability leave since the August 2014 attack.
Her son has dropped out of university because she could not afford the fees.
Mnguni said she felt victimised by the National Health Laboratories.
"My employer does not care about what happened to me. They never supported me. They only visited me a week after the incident when they saw my story in the Sowetan.
"The only time I meet with them is when we fight for money. They had promised to increase my salary by 25% because I did not invite the incident but they paid the money for a few months," she said.
Mnguni said she was also excluded from annual salary increments received by her colleagues. She said she had returned to work for two months but relapsed after her employer failed to increase her salary and did not give her reasons.
"I stressed about my pay until I became sick. Now I cannot even afford to pay for my burial society.
"My employer promised to pay the shortfall from the 75% but they went back on their word. I feel used and abandoned," she said.
Mnguni said the incident changed her life. She has been taking sleeping tablets for over a year.
"I can't sleep without them. I take two tablets and antidepression medication daily. As a nurse, I know that the medication can eventually damage my brain but I am not coping," she said.
Lebohang Maifadi, communications officer at National Health Laboratories said management could not yet respond to the questions Sowetan sent on Monday.
Gauteng department of health spokesman Steve Mabona said security was upgraded following the incident.
CCTV cameras were installed on every floor along with security guards from a new security company and panic buttons were installed.
"There is a guard dog placed at the boiler house and hospital perimeter," he said.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Kay Makhubele said investigations into the rape case were completed.
"The docket was sent to the Director of public prosecutions for decision," he said.
ratsatsip@sowetan.co.za
Raped nurse's life of misery
More than a year after a Johannesburg woman was attacked and raped at Helen Joseph hospital, she can hardly afford to pay her bills.
Bongiwe Mnguni was a nurse at the hospital when she was attacked while on duty.
She was electrocuted, choked and raped.
Now Mnguni receives 75% of her salary after she was placed on temporary disability leave since the August 2014 attack.
Her son has dropped out of university because she could not afford the fees.
Mnguni said she felt victimised by the National Health Laboratories.
"My employer does not care about what happened to me. They never supported me. They only visited me a week after the incident when they saw my story in the Sowetan.
"The only time I meet with them is when we fight for money. They had promised to increase my salary by 25% because I did not invite the incident but they paid the money for a few months," she said.
Mnguni said she was also excluded from annual salary increments received by her colleagues. She said she had returned to work for two months but relapsed after her employer failed to increase her salary and did not give her reasons.
"I stressed about my pay until I became sick. Now I cannot even afford to pay for my burial society.
"My employer promised to pay the shortfall from the 75% but they went back on their word. I feel used and abandoned," she said.
Mnguni said the incident changed her life. She has been taking sleeping tablets for over a year.
"I can't sleep without them. I take two tablets and antidepression medication daily. As a nurse, I know that the medication can eventually damage my brain but I am not coping," she said.
Lebohang Maifadi, communications officer at National Health Laboratories said management could not yet respond to the questions Sowetan sent on Monday.
Gauteng department of health spokesman Steve Mabona said security was upgraded following the incident.
CCTV cameras were installed on every floor along with security guards from a new security company and panic buttons were installed.
"There is a guard dog placed at the boiler house and hospital perimeter," he said.
Police spokesman Lieutenant Kay Makhubele said investigations into the rape case were completed.
"The docket was sent to the Director of public prosecutions for decision," he said.
ratsatsip@sowetan.co.za
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