EFF statement on Old Mutual’s funeral cover for health workers
13 April 2020
The EFF notes Old Mutual's R4 billion funeral cover, premium free, to 430 000 healthcare workers as disingenuous and aimed at maximizing public relations. It is a fact that come end of December when the free funeral cover is uplifted, not even 90% of the R4 billion would have been used.
If Old Mutual is serious about contributing to the fight against Covidl 9, they must put R4 billion to things that will prevent death of workers or increase their salary benefits now. Workers can then decide on their own whether to use the money for funerals or sustenance of their families during the economic hardships of the lockdown. Old Mutual plans to give the funeral cover to all healthcare workers registered with Healthcare Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and the South African Nursing Council (SANC). They indicate that this funeral policy is effect from 01 April to 31 December 2020. An amount of "RIO,OOO... [will] become payable in the event of death of qualifying healthcare workers, and is intended to provide relief to families who may have to deal with the tragic loss of a loved one during this period. The cover has no exclusions, and will include death related to any cause."
We must all reject the idea of waiting for people to die before helping them. We should not wait for healthcare workers to die before showing our appreciation for the self-sacrifices they demonstrate to fight the deadly virus. All contributions should aim to prevent them from death itself or show our appreciation to them whilst they are alive!
The R4 billion can even buy things like personal protective equipment for workers.
It is noteworthy that nowhere in the world have we see any evidence of high mortality rates amongst healthcare workers. Indeed, even if workers may get sick from contracting Covidl 9, the evidence is that most will recover. Old Mutual's funeral policy is therefore not based on any scientific prediction or possibility that there might be high mortality rates. Thus, we should not be planning for the eventuality of mass deaths of healthcare workers. Old Mutual, together with their puppet board chairperson Trevor Manuel, are just grandstanding for public relations purposes. At the end of the year, over 90% of that money would not have been spent. Yet society will live with the perception that Old Mutual, under the chairmanship of Trevor Manuel contributed R4 billion during Covid19; a desperately false and utterly mischievous idea.
No one, however rich they are, should seek to score public relations points out of the deadly pandemic facing humanity. White monopoly capital and Trevor Manuel must not play games with society; they either genuinely help in the fight against Covid19 or stick to their greedy profit maximization habits.
If they are genuine and truly want to give R4 billion to healthcare workers, they must ask for their bank account and deliver the money into their individual accounts with immediate effect.
Issued by Vuyani Pambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 13 April 2020
