A nurse at Tygerberg Hospital in Parow was amongst those honoured recently by the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness for their compassion, integrity, resilience, and service to others.
Shirley Coetzee, a Brackenfell resident, was given the award for Speciality Nursing: Celebrating the expertise and empathy that turn care into healing.
The event, the 2025 Cecilia Makiwane and Nursing Excellence Awards, was held on Wednesday 22 October.
This year, nurses from across the province were recognised for their exceptional commitment, courage, and compassion in delivering quality healthcare to the people of the province. Each nominee and winner represents excellence in action, professionals who go beyond duty to bring comfort, hope, and dignity to patients, families and communities, the department said in a statement.
“These awards honour not only the winners, but every one of the more than 12 000 nurses who serve across our province. They truly are the heartbeat of our system and the reason we continue to deliver healthcare with dignity and compassion. We thank each one for their unwavering commitment, courage, and excellence,” said Mireille Wenger, provincial minister of health and wellness, at the event.
Dr Keith Cloete, head of department for the Provincial Department of Health and Wellness, also commended the nurses.
“At the heart of excellence lies the heart of what we are called to do, to care. Today, we celebrate the essence of nursing through four simple but profound truths. First, to care about something, this calling. You do not stop caring, it is who you are. Second, to care for others, to be a caregiver, giving care with compassion often unseen, in those quiet moments between nurse and patient where the true essence of nursing lives. Finally, to receive care, because when patients receive care, they receive more than a procedure or medication, they receive warmth, humanity and dignity restored, often in their most vulnerable moments. This is nursing excellence, lived every day,” he said.
