30 Jul 2025

The kitchen personnel at the Serowe Institution of Health Sciences (IHS) are in limbo after the institution’s kitchen was shut down more than a year ago.

Briefing Minister of Higher Education, Mr Prince Maele during his tour at the college on Monday, Department of Public Health lecturer, Mr Kenosi Mogorosi said 20 kitchen staff members had remained inactive for more than a year while waiting for re-assignment.

This, he said came about following a decision to give students meal allowances and cease providing meals in the institution’s cafeteria.

This overly extended redeployment process has caused the kitchen staff to question the security of their positions and to worry about receiving layoff notifications, he stated.

Additionally, he said the organisation was presently short on staff, but there were vacancies that had remained vacant for years.

He said some staff members had to take on extra responsibilities to address the staff shortages.

As such he requested that the hiring of staff be expedited. 

He also  pleaded with the minister to tackle the problem of ‘acting’ roles lasting too long, arguing it was unjust for those temporarily filling positions without permanent advantages, adding that the institution’s principal had been in an acting capacity for nearly three years.

He also pointed out that the institution encountered infrastructural issues, emphasising that the chiller plant was inoperative and the water pump had intermittent malfunctions, causing the institution to be without water periodically. 

He asked for quicker timelines to resolve maintenance problems.

For his part, Minister Maele vowed to resolve the kitchen staff issue swiftly.

He expressed that it was unsuitable for positions to remain vacant while anticipating good results, stressing that the primary source of employee dissatisfaction was excessive workload from having to take on additional responsibilities due to a lack of staff.

He said the ministry would examine all reported concerns and provide solutions promptly. ENDS