Activitiy 6 Letter to the Press
Write a letter in response to this article
http://www.businessowner.co.za/Article.aspx?Page=23&type=22&Item=3151 br />
Learners must write a letter in response to an article in the local paper. This requires you to structure an argument supporting or opposing the lobby for businesses to accept sick notes from Traditional Healers.
Think about the following:
You might like to interview "healers", patients and employers while you are thinking about:
What claim you are going make, in other words what position will you take?
Have you analyzed your evidence- does it support your claim?
What recommendations can you make based upon evidence gathered.
is your conclusion is clearly related to your claim?
Letter to the Press
Dear Business Owner,
Thank you for an interesting article. We need to resolve this problem so workers and employers can both be satisfied. I suggest Businesses and Sangomas form a society where each side has guest speakers and debates. In this way they will learn about each and not be resentful and suspicious!
From,
Sani
My letter to the press
Dear Nabelah Adams
I read your article on businessowners.com, and I would like to thank you for creating awareness on this topic. I’m sure you know that 80% of South Africa’s population depend on Sangomas for their Health care, and for people who work for you who are in this statistic, it is very relevant.
I personally agree with the side where businesses should accept sick notes from Sangomas, but however I do see Darlene’s point of view, why should she, the owner of the company, accept sick notes if it is not her beliefs?
Then I think, but what about the employee’s beliefs? I think for businesses not to accept sick notes is a violation of human rights.
I think when you hire or start to work for someone, these things should be discussed. Terms and conditions should be written up to protect and acknowledge the employee and employers human rights. When you accept a sick not from a Sangoma, you are respecting their beliefs.
I would like to thank you again for a brilliant article.
Hoping you are well
Karina d
My Letter to the Press
Dear Nabelah Adams,
Your article is very interesting because it shows the different view points of business owners. I agree that sick notes from Sangomas could be open to abuse, but why did you not inculde some comments from people who have had the experience of having sick notes from Sangomas refused or accepted ny their employers? This would have made your article more balanced.
Yours Sincerely
Lulu.
My letter to the press
Dear Mr.Nabelah Adams
I am writing to you in responce of your article, I think it is a great idea that businesses should have to accept sangomas sick notes, I am very glad that it is now a law!
Although it is now a law, some people still refuse to accept sangomas sick notes.... Either because they are stubburn, do not believe its a real sick note or because it against their beliefs. Do peolpe get penalties for not accepting the sick notes? I do understand some peoples point of view, specifically if it against their beliefs, but if they want people to respect their beliefs then they should respect others! Some people believe doctors are wrong and others believe sangomas are wrong. We should first learn the ways of others, then we can say our own opinian.
It was a very good article by the way! I do hope people become more aware of the new law and that they learn to accept it.
Kind regards
Kayley
My Letter to the Press
Dear Ms Adams,
Thank you for a thought provoking article. I hope this opens the eyes of employers in South Africa. Our culture has been out behind the cupboard for too long. Businesses should allow an office on their premises for a sangoma. They will benefit - having a Healer on call in the work place will cost them less time off and make the workers come to work to get a sick note.
Yours Faithfully,
Tinad
Letter to the Press
Dear BusinessOwner.co.za
I have seen many of my colleagues hand in sick notes from traditional healers and be denied leave. I completely disagree with that. People have the right to believe in traditional healers if they want to.If the sangoma says, for instance,that the ancestors are unhappy and they must slaughter a goat and remain at home to become healthy and then this is denied- it is the same as saying to some who has consulted a doctor that they may not follow doctors' orders or stay at home to get well. An estimated 80% of the African population use traditional healing as their health care system. So denying them sick leave is denying not only their medical care but also their belief system. Proving my point is the following quote:
“DESPITE extensive advertising by government, business owners across the country know little about the new Traditional Health Practitioners Act (THPA) which will allow workers to submit sick notes from sangomas to their employers.”
http://www.businessowner.co.za/Article.aspx?Page=23&type=22&Item=3151
Posted: Monday, 09 October 2006| © BusinessOwner 1997-2008
I would like to suggest that employers make it their business to learn about employees health care systems and that sick notes from sangomas should be allowed.
Yours Sincerely,
Jennifer P