UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, who was fined R10 000 by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), has maintained that her personal expressions, both online and offline, do not affect her professional integrity or responsibilities as a medical practitioner.
The EFF, meanwhile, has also called the penalty “politically motivated”, reports the Cape Times.
The fine was for “inappropriate language on social media” after a complaint by the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) about Mofokeng’s posts on social media platform X, “vilifying Israel and Jewish supporters using racist, derogatory, and profane language”.
“In January 2025, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a brief delay in the Gaza ceasefire, Mofokeng… posted on X: ‘F** you Netanyahu’.
“When UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer called on the United Nations to take action, she replied: ‘You white man. Evil scum. Voetsek’,” said the SAZF complaint, which describing the remarks as a “serious breach of professionalism and decorum”.
The matter was considered by the First Medical and Dental Committee of the Preliminary Inquiry at a meeting on 11 September at which it resolved there had been “evidence of unprofessional conduct … in terms of Regulation 4(9) … bringing the profession into disrepute,” the HPCSA finding read.
Mofokeng has 30 days from the 16 October decision to appeal. She said her legal team was considering their options.
The EFF protested that Mofokeng’s posts did not “threaten patients, violate medical ethics, or compromise her clinical responsibilities”.
The HPCSA did not respond to requests for comment by deadline.
Cape Times PressReader article – EFF slams HPCSA over Dr Tlatleng Mofokeng fine (Open access)
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