Thembelihle Zwane
12 May 2026
As the global community marks International Nurses Day on May 12, 2026, a spotlight is being shone on an escalating crisis within South Africa’s public health corridors: Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). Unlike standard burnout, STS is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about or witnesses the firsthand trauma experiences of another – a daily reality for nurses in the country’s overburdened public sector.
Under the increasing pressure of the National Health Insurance (NHI) rollout and persistent staffing shortages, South African nurses are not just exhausted; they are being vicariously traumatised by the high-acuity cases they manage.
For Sister Nomvula Dlamini, a veteran trauma nurse in a busy Gauteng public hospital, the emotional toll is often heavier than the physical shift.
“We see the worst of humanity – the results of violent crime, accidents, and extreme poverty,” Dlamini says. “You don’t just ‘leave it at the gate.’ You take those stories home. Last month, I sat with a mother who lost her child to a preventable illness because we didn’t have a bed. I didn’t sleep for three days. It’s not just being tired; it’s feeling like the trauma is happening to you, too.”
Health experts argue that distinguishing between burnout and STS is critical for effective intervention. While burnout relates to workplace environment and workload, STS is a clinical condition similar to PTSD.
“Secondary Traumatic Stress is an occupational hazard for those in the helping professions,” explains Dr. Sebolelo Seape, psychiatrist and chairperson of the Psychiatry Management Group. “When nurses are exposed to continuous trauma without the opportunity for psychological ‘debriefing,’ their brains remain in a state of high cortisol production. This leads to symptoms like intrusive thoughts, chronic fatigue, and emotional numbing.”
Dr. Seape notes that in the public sector, where the patient-to-nurse ratio is often double the recommended limit, there is simply no “downtime” for the nervous system to reset.
Health services experts highlight that the “resilience” of nurses is being exploited as a substitute for systemic support.
Jacqui Nel, Business Unit Head of Healthcare at Aon South Africa, emphasises that the psychological safety of healthcare workers is directly linked to patient outcomes. “We cannot expect high-quality patient care from a workforce that is suffering from compassion fatigue. Our research indicates that healthcare workers in high-pressure public environments are experiencing STS at rates 40% higher than in previous decades.”
Nel argues that “Caring for the Carers” must move beyond a slogan and into the departmental budget. “We need mandatory clinical supervision and peer-support structures integrated into the workday, not as an optional extra.”
In honour of the 2026 International Nurses’ Day theme, which focuses on the economic and social power of nursing, South African labour advocates are calling for “Trauma-Informed Management.”
“If a nurse is physically injured on duty, there is a protocol,” says Lerato Mthunzi, the President of the Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU), a leading South African nursing union. “But if their spirit is broken by what they’ve seen, they are told to ‘be strong.’ We are calling for the Department of Health to recognise STS as a workplace injury.”
How to Support a Nurse Today:
Peer Debriefing: Encouraging “huddles” after critical incidents to process emotions immediately.
Institutional Support: Providing access to confidential, on-site psychological counselling that doesn’t require a nurse to use their personal leave.
Societal Awareness: Recognising that nurses are human beings, not “superheroes” who are immune to pain.
As the sun sets on International Nurses Day, the message from the frontlines is clear: to save the healthcare system, we must first save the people who hold it together.
Need Help?
Healthcare workers struggling with STS or burnout can contact the Healthcare Workers Care Network at 0800 21 21 21 or SMS 43001 for free, confidential support.
