Limpopo ANC Backs Ramathuba After "Foreigners Killing Health System" Comments
The ANC in Limpopo has defended Premier Phophi Ramathuba following the controversy surrounding her remarks about foreign nationals “killing” the health system in South Africa.
As reported by TimesLive, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has initiated a formal inquiry into Ramathuba’s conduct as a medical doctor after her comments were made public.
Ramathuba’s remarks, made in August 2022, were directed at a Zimbabwean patient at Bela Bela Hospital, where she was serving as the Health MEC at the time.
She expressed frustration about the strain on the health system due to foreign nationals seeking treatment in South Africa.
Ramathuba made the comments while visiting Bela Bela Hospital, wearing her doctor’s scrubs, during an interaction with the Zimbabwean woman, who was undergoing surgery. She said:
You speak Shona, how do you find yourself in Bela Bela Hospital when you are supposed to be with [Zimbabwe President Emmerson] Mnangagwa?
You know he doesn’t give me money to operate on you? I am operating on you with my limited budget. You are killing my health system.
The HPCSA is investigating whether Ramathuba’s conduct violated any professional or ethical standards, particularly in her capacity as a healthcare provider.
In 2023, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) found that Phophi Ramathuba had acted in an “unprofessional” manner, noting that it was “unbecoming of a medical professional” to shout at a patient’s bedside.
Despite the findings, the HPCSA extended an olive branch to Ramathuba, stating that accepting the penalty would not result in a conviction and would not appear on her professional record.
Ramathuba rejected the preliminary findings and the offered penalty, which led to the initiation of a formal inquiry into her conduct.
She attempted to block the inquiry by seeking an interdict in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, but she lost the case, allowing the HPCSA inquiry to proceed.
Speaking to TimesLIVE, ANC Limpopo spokesperson Jimmy Machaka defended Premier Phophi Ramathuba, agreeing with her view that the HPCSA should not have investigated the matter.
He argued that Ramathuba made the comments in her capacity as the Health MEC, not as a medical professional, and therefore, the inquiry was unwarranted. Said Machaka:
The ANC Limpopo has noted the case by [the] HPCSA against Ramathuba. It’s our view that Ramathuba was correct to raise the alarm about the illegal foreigners who are overburdening the health sector in our province and the country.
It is our belief there is nothing wrong with the statement she made. The statement was made in her political capacity as health MEC and should not have been subjected to HPCSA inquiry. We believe [the] HPCSA is attempting to enter political terrain.
In the court case, Judge Anthony Millar ruled that Ramathuba had not deregistered as a medical practitioner, meaning the HPCSA had the right to investigate her.
He said that her role as MEC was political, while her medical registration was professional, and these roles were not mutually exclusive.
Millar rejected the argument that her conduct should be judged based on “which hat” she was wearing at the time, stating that it was inconsistent with constitutional values and the law.
He ruled that since Ramathuba remained registered with the HPCSA, she was subject to its jurisdiction, and the only way to avoid this would have been to deregister.
More: Pindula News
