Harare, Zimbabwe – The Zimbabwean government, through its spokesperson Ndavaningi “Nick” Mangwana, has accused South Africa’s Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, of xenophobia following his controversial remarks about Zimbabwean citizens accessing free medical services in South Africa.
Motsoaledi, who previously served as South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister, has consistently voiced concerns over the increasing number of Zimbabwean immigrants seeking healthcare in South Africa. He claimed that South African hospitals are being overwhelmed by foreign patients who do not contribute financially to the cost of their care.
During a recent media briefing at the ANC NEC Lekgotla in Benoni, Motsoaledi compared Zimbabwe’s approach to dealing with its healthcare challenges to a father instructing his children to eat at a neighbor’s house instead of resolving the issues within the family.
“They just close their eyes and let people cross the border (into South Africa). It’s unfair,” Motsoaledi remarked, further alleging that a Zimbabwean doctor had once sent a cancer patient to South Africa with a request for a pint of blood. He explained, “During the period when Phophi Ramathuba faced widespread criticism, she received a letter from a patient sent to South Africa by a GP in Zimbabwe. The letter requested a pint of blood for a woman with stage 4 cancer.”
Motsoaledi added, “This is troubling because blood is not something we can manufacture. It comes from the population. Zimbabwe has people with blood to donate. If they lack the technology to collect it, they should ask for assistance to organize donations rather than sending their patients across the border. It’s unfair.”
In response, Mangwana strongly criticized Motsoaledi’s statements, labeling them as uninformed and xenophobic. Taking to social media, Mangwana shared a video of National Blood Services CEO Lucy Marowa, who affirmed that Zimbabwe has sufficient blood supplies. Mangwana commented, “The National Blood Services CEO, Ms. Lucy Marowa, confirms that Zimbabwe has enough blood supplies. This addresses some misinformed and xenophobic statements made by a foreign minister.”
The dispute between Zimbabwe and South Africa over the impact of Zimbabwean patients on South Africa’s healthcare system is not new. Tensions began escalating in 2022 when then Limpopo MEC of Health, Phophi Ramathuba, sparked controversy by publicly criticizing a Zimbabwean woman who was seeking surgery at a public hospital in Limpopo. Ramathuba’s comments about foreigners burdening South Africa’s healthcare system drew mixed reactions, with some accusing her of ethical breaches.
Following Ramathuba’s remarks, the Zimbabwean Embassy in Pretoria expressed “shock and disbelief” and raised the issue with South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa later acknowledged the strain that migration places on South Africa’s public services but suggested that Ramathuba could have addressed the issue in a more sensitive manner.
The ongoing dispute highlights the growing tensions between Zimbabwe and South Africa over immigration and its impact on public services, with healthcare remaining a particularly contentious issue.
Source: Pindula