The purpose of the Indaba was to revive Employee Health and Wellness programmes on the workplace. This Indaba targeted all the Government Departments, Municipalities, business and private sectors within Sedibeng District Municipality. This successful Indaba was held under the theme: “Making Employees Health & Wellness A Number One Priority”

In her welcoming speech, the MMC responsible for Health and Social Developement at the Sedibeng District Municipality, Cllr. Fetty Mnguni acknowledged that employees’ health and wellness have not been among the top priorities of any planning despite the availability of the national employees’ Health and Wellness Integrated Approach Framework which sought to ensure that all employees, irrespective of where they work, are healthy and well to perform their duties to the best of their abilities.

“I sincerely hope that today this Indaba will provide tangible and achievable plans. Plans which will surely make employees feel acknowledged and belonging”, said the MMC for Social Services, Cllr. Fetty Mnguni.

Employee Health & Wellness Manager from the Gauteng Department of Education, Ms Brenda Maitse, took the delegates through the legislation and imperatives of the Employee Health & Wellness programme. The discussions were taken further during the break-away sessions where commissions explored and tried to address the four functional pillars of the Employee Health & Wellness Strategic Framework.

These discussions were led by experts from various Departments such as: DPSA, Department of Labour, Department of Rural Development & Land Reform, Finance, Right to Care, SAPS, Mental Health, ICAS, OUT LGBT Wellbeing and JHB City parks.

Some of the areas which formed part of these critical engagements on the wellbeing of employees were the following:

• HIV & TB management in relation with the following topics: Human and legal support advocacy Mitigate against stigma and discrimination and
• Health & productivity management which dealt with the following topics: Diseases management & Chronic illnesses, Mental Health & Psychosomatic illnesses, Injury on duty & incapacity due to ill health as well as Occupational Health , treatment and prevention.
• Wellness management in which the following were points of discussion:  Individual Physical and, psychosocial wellness, Organizational wellness and work life balance.
• Safety, Health, Environment, risk & quality management (SHERQ) which addressed occupational health & safety, environmental management and risk & quality management.

The major focus of discussions was on sharing best practices and presentations which led by Eskom, North West University and Department of Transport. Amongst others, broad resolutions taken were that the Sedibeng District Municipality should conduct situational analysis, adopt and adapt the National Health and Wellness Integrated Approach Framework and develop a tangible and achievable plan.

Sedibeng Wellness Indaba