SA Public Protector Refutes Reports of Zimbabwean Healthcare Complaint

By Elishamai A Ziumbwa

South Africa’s Public Protector has firmly denied receiving any formal complaint from the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) regarding allegations that Zimbabwean nationals are being denied access to healthcare services in South Africa.

In a statement issued in response to mounting media inquiries, the Public Protector South Africa (PPSA) clarified that it has no record of such a grievance lodged by the ZHRC despite recent claims reported in some media outlets.

“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, are unfounded. Neither do we have a record of a complaint of that kind,” said the PPSA.

According to the statement, the ZHRC visited South Africa on 10 and 11 September 2024, as part of a benchmarking exercise — a practice the PPSA routinely engages in with oversight institutions from across the continent.

During that visit, a second delegation from another African ombudsman office was also hosted.

The PPSA said the meetings covered a range of shared oversight concerns including corruption, public service delivery and healthcare systems in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.

“The discussions were about, among other things, the state of the healthcare systems in both countries. At no point did the discussions focus on the denial of Zimbabwean nationals access to health care services in South Africa,” the statement explained.

The PPSA added that it had, at the request of the ZHRC, provided documents on 14 October 2024 intended to bolster the Zimbabwean body’s capacity to investigate issues of maladministration and corruption.

“These materials were shared as part of our broader support to the ZHRC in line with international best practices — not in response to any specific healthcare-related complaint,” the agency clarified.

As one of the continent’s leading human rights watchdogs, the PPSA reiterated its commitment to supporting peer institutions like the ZHRC in strengthening their mandate to promote rule of law and protect the rights of citizens.

“The PPSA remains committed to assisting the ZHRC to strengthen its impact to better serve the people of Zimbabwe,” it said, emphasising that its support is rooted in international principles of good governance and institutional cooperation.

The statement comes amid heightened tensions and public scrutiny over the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa’s public services particularly healthcare which has become a flashpoint in the country’s immigration discourse.