The Public Protector of South Africa has stated that it has no record of any formal complaint lodged by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) regarding the alleged denial of healthcare services to Zimbabwean nationals in the country.
This clarification comes in response to multiple media inquiries about the issue. The Public Protector’s office confirmed that while it recently engaged with a ZHRC delegation, the discussions did not focus on healthcare access for Zimbabweans in South Africa.
The meeting between the two institutions was part of a benchmarking visit initiated by the ZHRC. During the visit, the delegations exchanged insights on shared challenges faced by ombudsman offices, including corruption and service delivery issues—particularly in healthcare systems. However, the Public Protector emphasized that the alleged denial of medical services to Zimbabwean migrants was never a topic of discussion.
“The Public Protector’s office has no record of such a complaint, and the benchmarking visit did not address this specific issue,” the office stated.
The clarification seeks to dispel any misconceptions following media reports suggesting that the ZHRC had formally raised concerns over Zimbabweans being turned away from South African health facilities.
The Public Protector’s office also noted that it recently hosted another African ombudsman delegation, reinforcing cross-border collaboration on governance and human rights matters. However, it reiterated that healthcare access for Zimbabweans in South Africa was not part of the agenda.
No further details were provided on whether the ZHRC intends to formally file a complaint in the future. The issue of migrant access to healthcare remains a contentious topic in South Africa, where public health systems are often under strain.