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She also continued to study. She obtained her

major nursing profession – B. Cur E et A (majoring in

Community Health Nursing, Nursing Administration

(with distinction) and Nursing Education) when she

was 46 years of age. After that, it took Phumelele

less than 20 years to achieve a doctorate in nursing

from the University of Zululand. This octogenarian

spent 42 years in the profession, ‘retiring’ in 1999, but

continued to work full-time for another seven years.

After that, alongside being a priest in her retirement,

she continued to be sporadically involved in health

care and related work.

In her almost half-a-century in the profession,

Phumelele singles out a number of highlights.

For instance, she became an assistant teaching

nurse before she got her qualification. “As a senior

student nurse in a small rural training hospital with

few nurse educators, in my last year l assisted the

nurse educators with first year students’ orientation,

teaching in class and practical work,” she said, adding

that her interest and expertise in this area of nursing

education grew and was recognised.

“It is for this reason that I ended up as a nurse educator

in nursing colleges and university nursing departments,

teaching diplomas and degrees,” she said.

She also promoted private university study for nurses

employed full-time in hospitals. As a Senior Sister,

now called Operations Manager, she also supervised

nursing students that were doing Clinical Care

Administration and Instruction. Phumelele was happy

with the outcome of what she was doing. “It was good

to see young nurses develop to become nurse leaders

in the nursing profession, and moving up the ladder to

high management positions in the health care system,”

said this professional who was once awarded a prize

as ‘Best Nursing Care Unit Manager’.

Another highlight in her career was being among the

first nurses at King Edward Vlll Hospital to be given the

opportunity to study IntensiveCareNursing atWentworth

Hospital. “On return from that course, we were allocated

to be part of the group given the responsibility of

preparing for installation of a new Intensive Care Unit to

be opened at our hospital,” she said.

While working at Clairwood Hospital, another Durban

hospital, Phumelele was in charge of the In-service

Department. She was also appointed facilitator of a

course calledANursingProcess Approach toNursing, a

newly introduced package. “Part of my responsibilities

in this department was to enforce continuous practical

nurse learning to keep nurses updated since this was

not a training hospital,” she said.

As part of the University of Zululand Nursing Science

Department, Phumelele was assigned to go and open

a new Nursing Department at its Umlazi Campus.

“This was a big success and offered nursing degrees

and diplomas like those offered at Main Campus,” she

said. Many professional nurses were able to attend

and study University courses part-time while fully

employed. This department grew and has produced

many nurse leaders in the health care system.

These are just a few of Phumelele’s milestones in her

career as a nurse. After retirement, Phumelele got

involved in community health projects, especially HIV

and AIDS and TB. She was particularly involved in

training and supervision of Home Based Care.

Reflecting on the unjust and inhumane apartheid

system, Phumelele said nursing was not exempted.

For instance, white nurses were paid higher salaries.

Conditions of service, placement and allocation of

duties were also much better for white nurses. Training

schools were segregated, with no mixing of races.

“Black nurses were barred from observing or assisting

in certain special procedures if performed on a white

client, even if that condition or procedure was so rare

that they might never see it during their training,” she

concluded.

Dr Phumelele Jabulisiwe Kunene