A female nurse based at Embakwe Mission Hospital in Mangwe District allegedly bashed her colleague who is asthmatic and living with albinism before shoving her to a gate with barbed wire and calling her a “useless inkawu” over US$10, Sunday News has learnt.

Inkawu is a derogatory SiNdebele word for people living with albinism. The female nurse, Sithethiwe Tshuma attacked her ill colleague allegedly after she was irked by the fact that she was given a lunch allowance of US$10 ahead of her. Matabeleland South police provincial spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which happened on 23 September at the Roman Catholic Church-run institution.

“We are handling a case of assault involving nurses at Embakwe over a dispute relating to a lunch allowance,” said Chief Insp Ndebele.

Matabeleland South Provincial Medical Director Rudo Chikodzo declined to comment but sources at the institution who witnessed the incident said they were shocked when their colleague who is employed as a primary care nurse was bashed by Tshuma who works as a registered nurse midwife over US$10. The source said on the day, the nurse-in-charge made a paysheet for lunch allowances and the primary care nurse’s name was included.

“However, when Tshuma discovered that her name was not on the paysheet instead of approaching the nurse-in-charge, she confronted this nurse and asked why she had been paid while she has not received the money,” said the source.

The source added that colleagues advised Tshuma to talk to the nurse-in-charge but she refused and started confronting her colleague who had been paid the allowance.

“She pounced on her and pushed her against the gate which had barbed wire, she fell down and sustained a slight head injury and lacerations on the hands. As if that was not enough, Tshuma strangled her while her other hand was clawing her lips,” said the witness.

The witness said colleagues pulled Tshuma from the top of the other nurse who was now struggling to breathe.-The Sunday News