JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s government says it is disturbed by growing reports of foreign nationals being barred from accessing healthcare at public clinics and hospitals by community members and protest groups.
The backlash, unfolding in parts of the country, has prompted the deployment of Public Order Police to maintain calm around health facilities affected by the unrest. The government warned that taking the law into one’s own hands is a criminal offence and violates constitutional rights.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) urged citizens to raise concerns about overstretched public services through lawful means rather than through intimidation and obstruction.
While government acknowledged that public clinics are under pressure — with healthcare workers overwhelmed and infrastructure stretched — it said no citizen has the right to deny others access to essential services. It reminded the public that the Constitution guarantees healthcare access to everyone, regardless of nationality or immigration status.
“This right is not dependent on immigration papers or origin. Denying anyone medical help based on where they come from breaks the law and the values we stand for as a country,” read the GCIS statement.
South Africa remains a signatory to several international treaties that commit the country to uphold access to basic services, including healthcare, for anyone within its borders.
The Department of Health is working alongside law enforcement to manage tensions, while also taking steps to improve staffing levels and resources in the public health system. According to the GCIS, these reforms are meant to ensure that no one — whether local or foreign — is turned away from clinics due to limited capacity or community backlash.
Police and immigration officers have also been instructed to continue arresting individuals found to be in the country illegally, in accordance with the Immigration Act. However, officials said illegal status does not give any citizen the right to intimidate or block others from health services.
A zero-tolerance policy remains in place for protestors who disrupt services or threaten patients and healthcare workers at government facilities.
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