Public protector Kholeka Gcaleka has denied that the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has filed an official complaint regarding claims that Zimbabweans are allegedly being refused access to medical care in South Africa.
This information follows Operation Dudula’s blocking of public healthcare facilities for undocumented foreign nationals.
According to Operation Dudula, South Africans should receive healthcare preference, and foreigners should cover the costs of these services at private medical facilities.
Gcaleka clarified that her office has not received any formal complaints.
She claimed to have previously met with the commission, including during a benchmarking visit in September 2024, and that the topic of discussion did not include the denial of healthcare to Zimbabweans.
The meetings, she clarified, instead addressed more general issues like service delivery, corruption, and best practices in public service systems.
Strengthening ZHRC’s institutional capacity
“Consequently, upon request of the ZHRC, on October 14, 2024, the PPSA [Office of the Public Protector of South Africa] shared documents with the ZHRC that would assist in strengthening the ZHRC institutional capacity to investigate malfeasance in its own country,” said Gcaleka.
“At no point did the discussions then, nor recently, focus on the denial of Zimbabwean nationals’ access to healthcare services in South Africa.”
She stated that although these materials contained references to South African healthcare system investigations, their sole purpose was to serve as guidelines for ZHRC’s internal investigation procedure.
“The PPSA has committed to helping ZHRC strengthen its impact to better serve the people of Zimbabwe, in line with international standards followed by institutions of this kind, which are to uphold the rule of law, protect human rights, and enforce good governance in its own country.”
The PPSA is one of the leading institutions of its kind both continentally and globally, according to Gcaleka.
The ZHRC chairperson recently told Newzroom Afrika that South Africans found acceptance throughout Africa during the country’s struggle for liberation.
