The Public Protector has denied that a meeting with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission to discuss healthcare challenges for Zimbabweans in South Africa took place.
The Office of the Public Protector says it has no record of a complaint by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) regarding the denial of Zimbabwean nationals’ access to healthcare services in South Africa.
Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka was responding to ZHRC Chairperson Jessie Majome’s comments in an interview with Newzroom Afrika, where she claimed a meeting was held to discuss the issue with the Public Protector.
“The conversation with Advocate Gcaleka was to show our mutual interest in having our countries beneficially resolve the issue of the conflicts that are arising when Zimbabwean nationals approach South African hospitals to seek services,” said Majome.
“This conversation is not a new conversation. In September 2024, the public protector very graciously hosted my commission for a benchmarking and learning visit. We came to learn how the public protector conducts its mandate and overcomes difficulties it encounters, so that we can grow and improve our function.
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“In that visit, Gcaleka and I had a conversation that started about the problem of Zimbabweans seeking help. We agreed that we want to come together and devise ways of coming up with lasting solutions to ensure all enjoy their rights.”
‘No such discussion’
In a statement on Tuesday, Gcaleka said her office did not host her Zimbabwean counterpart last year. However, no recent meeting had taken place to discuss healthcare services in the country.
“Rather, the discussions were about, among other things, the state of the health care systems in both countries. Accordingly, the PPSA also referred to its own investigation into the state of the healthcare system in South Africa as a guide for the ZHRC to investigate the same in its own country,” said Gcaleka.
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“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 health-care services in South Africa; neither do we have record of a complaint of that kind.”
South Africa and Zimbabwe partnership
Gcaleka said the meeting her office held with her Zimbabwean counterpart covered issues commonly shared between the two institutions, including corruption and challenges relating to service delivery in the two countries, such as healthcare systems.
“Consequently, and on the request of the ZHRC, on 14 October, the public protector of South Africa shared documents with the ZHRC that would assist in strengthening the ZHRC’s institutional capacity to investigate malfeasance in its own country. At no point did the discussions then, or recently, focus on the denial of Zimbabwean nationals’ access to health-care services in South Africa.”
However, the public protector committed to assisting the ZHRC to strengthen its impact to better serve the people of Zimbabwe, “in line with international standards followed by institutions of its kind, which are to uphold the rule of law, protect human rights and enforce good governance in its own country”.
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