Prof. Arthur Mutambara said that Phophi Ramathuba, the health MEC for the Limpopo province, was xenophobic and lacked pan-Africanism after she told a migrant patient that undocumented Zimbabweans were burdening the state’s healthcare system.

Panashe Makufa

Arthur Mutambara, the former deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe, criticized Ramathuba’s position for failing to prioritize the demands of the SADC over those of South Africa.

 “The remarks of the MEC of Limpopo are disgraceful because she doesn’t understand that we are all Africans, that SADC – the regional arrangement – is more important than South Africa.

She doesn’t understand that these borders – Botswana, Zimbabwe – are not our borders. So for her to be speaking eloquently about victimizing a patient is disgraceful because we must be putting the region before the country, the African before the South African, the African before the Zimbabwean, so we need more solidarity.

 We need more consciousness among our leaders and the MEC from Limpopo demonstrated the lack of understanding of pan-Africanism and a lack of understanding of regional solidarity.”

Ramathuba fumed when informed the patient she was addressing was Shona speaking.

 “You know that [President Emmerson] Mnangagwa doesn’t give me money to operate you guys… You’re killing my health system,” She told the patient.

In a statement, the Health Department wrote: “We acknowledge that the public healthcare system is struggling in some areas to meet the healthcare needs of the citizens and reduce the backlogs due to unpredictably high number of undocumented migrants from neighboring countries seeking healthcare service in the country, other than the asylum-seekers and refugees.”

Ramathuba’s remarks last week stirred discussion locally and globally, with more people arguing that she breached her ethical duty and should be fired.