South Africa’s resources are limited and the government had made a mistake in 1996 in granting services to everyone in the country – whether they were legal or not – according to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, who said state departments should be reformed to “curb waste”.
New24 reports that at a forum in Pretoria on Monday, the Minister questioned the affordability of providing free public healthcare to undocumented migrants.
The 1996 Constitution, forged after the end of white-minority rule, had granted services to everyone in the country, and now legally, “we cannot refuse you”, he added.
“People must come to our country legally. Those who come here illegally, we should be sending them home.”
In 2008, about 60 people died and 50 000 were displaced in a wave of xenophobic violence, with foreigners blamed for everything from unemployment to poor government services.
There were similar riots in 2015 and again in 2019, when President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to apologise to other African nations who were appalled by the treatment of their nationals.
More recently, there have been numerous reports of foreigners seeking medical care being chased away from health clinics.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
New booklet clarifies migrants’ rights to free healthcare in SA
Medical xenophobia and discrimination widespread in Gauteng health care
Murder charge against Operation Dudula after baby’s death