Foreign nationals denied care at Mamelodi clinic
Operation Dudula and March on March have been turning foreign nationals away since the start of the week.
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The South African
12 hours ago
- The South African
Jessie Majome defends Zimbabweans' right to healthcare in South Africa
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission chairperson, Jessie Majome, has urged South Africans to show compassion toward Zimbabwean migrants. Majome has reminded all of the historic solidarity between the two nations during South Africa's liberation struggle. 'During the struggle for South Africa's independence, a lot of African countries, including Zimbabwe, hosted South Africans,' Majome said in an interview on Newzroom Afrika . Her comments come amid growing outrage over the denial of healthcare to undocumented Zimbabweans in South Africa. In recent months, protests have intensified, with groups like Operation Dudula blocking access to hospitals such as Kalafong in Gauteng. Protestors have stationed themselves outside clinics, demanding identity documents and turning away those unable to prove legal status. This is despite South Africa's Constitution guaranteeing access to emergency medical treatment for all, regardless of nationality, under Section 27. In July 2025, the South African Human Rights Commission reaffirmed that healthcare is a constitutional right. The commission condemned the unlawful gatekeeping and the ongoing policy confusion that enables some hospitals to ignore legal obligations. Legal challenges are now in motion to address exclusionary practices, particularly in Gauteng. Majome's message was clear: Africans must return to a spirit of empathy and justice. 'Some of the Zimbabweans who are in South Africa are in South Africa regularly and legitimately,' Majome said. 'But if there is intolerance and xenophobia, even those who are contributing to the economy of South Africa also bear the brand of negative attitudes, which are not helpful for South Africa. The bottom line is that we should and we can find the lasting solutions…' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
16 hours ago
- IOL News
Public Protector refutes Zimbabwean Human Rights Commission claims on healthcare access
Human rights groups and officials condemn the March and March group for illegally checking IDs at public hospitals, blocking access to essential care for immigrants, and violating South Africa's Constitution. Image: March and March / Facebook The Office of South Africa's Public Protector, Kholeka Gcaleka, has refuted claims made by the Zimbabwean Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), which insisted that it has engaged her office over issues affecting South African-based Zimbabwean immigrants. This comes as foreign nationals, including Zimbabwean nationals, are being barred from accessing healthcare, with Operation Dudula revealing that it will be intensifying its efforts against illegal immigrants, with a campaign aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from accessing public schools in the new year. Operation Dudula and March and March movements have spent the past few weeks preventing undocumented immigrants from accessing healthcare services across public clinics and hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng due to the alleged strain this has caused on South Africa's limited healthcare services. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading However, in a statement on Monday, Gcaleka refuted these claims, saying her office has not received any correspondence from ZHRC. "Following numerous media inquiries, the Public Protector South Africa (PPSA) wishes to clarify that it has no record of a complaint lodged by the Zimbabwean Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), concerning the denial of Zimbabwean nationals' access to healthcare services in South Africa," the PP stated. Gcaleka revealed that she had previously hosted ZHRC in 2024, where various issues of benchmarking were discussed, and her office shared some information on this matter. However, the parties never discussed any other issues outside this. "Rather, the discussions were about, among other things, the state of healthcare systems in both countries. Accordingly, PPSA also referred to its own investigation into the state of the healthcare system in South Africa as a guide to investigate the same in its own country. "We are, therefore, surprised by reports in the media about discussions, which purportedly occurred recently, and were centred around matters relating to Zimbabwean nationals being denied access to healthcare services in South Africa; neither do we have a record of a complaint of that kind," Gcaleka stated.
Eyewitness News
16 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
PP Office denies claims it's in talks with ZHRC over concerns Zim nationals being denied healthcare in SA
JOHANNESBURG - The Office of the Public Protector has rubbished claims that it's in talks with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) over concerns that foreign nationals are being denied healthcare in South Africa. This follows a run-in between some lobby groups, such as Operation Dudula, some political parties, and foreign nationals at hospitals and clinics. Operation Dudula is among groups that said foreign nationals are putting strain on the country's already stretched resources. Reports emerged over the weekend that the ZHRC, which plays the role of public protector in that country, had lodged a formal complaint with its counterpart in South Africa. The public protector's acting spokesperson, Ndili Msoki, said the Section 9 institution hosted a ZHRC delegation in 2024 but on matters unrelated to the barring of Zimbabweans from South Africa's facilities. "The visit covered several issues commonly shared between institutions with a similar mandate, including but not limited to best practices within the environment, corruption, as well as challenges relating to service delivery in both countries, among those being health care systems." Msoki said the public protector shared best practices to help strengthen the ZHRC's institutional capacity. "At no point did the discussions then, nor recently, focus on the denial of Zimbabwean nationals' access to healthcare services in South Africa. We are, therefore, surprised by reports in the media about discussions, which purportedly occurred recently, and were centred around matters relating to Zimbabwean nationals being denied access to healthcare services in South Africa, neither do we have record of a complaint of that kind."
