Across the world, politicians and elected officials of all stripes seem to be vying with each other to make the most outrageous, offensive, dismissive and exclusionary statements about migrants and refugees.

The recent comments of the MEC for Health in Limpopo province must in this context be among the worst. Dr Phophi Ramathuba, herself a medical doctor with a pharmacology specialisation, was caught on camera berating a patient, believed to be an undocumented Zimbabwean, for having crossed the border in order to receive medical attention, thereby ‘abusing’ South Africa’s strained health care system.

Her comments went viral and unleashed a tirade of responses, some defending her and adding to the offensive arguments, while others took strong exception to her remarks and called for her dismissal.

At the heart of what one newspaper called her ‘tongue-lashing’, the MEC made the point that when she visited Canada she had to assure the Canadian government that she had sufficient funds to cover medical bills should she fall ill while there. Conversely, Zimbabwe contributed nothing to her budget and thus could not expect that its citizens should be given medical attention in Limpopo.

Paper by CPLO