Hearing Commences Against Dr. Phophi Ramathuba for Xenophobic Remarks Amidst
Alarming Corruption and Mismanagement in Limpopo Health Department

On the 11th of November 2024, at the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria, the Health Professions
Council of South Africa (HPCSA) opened hearings against Dr. Phophi Constance
Ramathuba over widely criticized xenophobic statements made in August 2022. The
hearing, which will continue through Thursday 14th of November 2024, features testimony
and evidence from multiple sources.
Nigel Branken will testify on behalf of a coalition of organizations committed to upholding
ethical standards and accountability in healthcare. This coalition includes:
Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX)
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR)
Neighbours NPO
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC)
Section 27
Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI)
Health Justice Initiative
Progressive Health Forum
Helen Suzman Foundation
Branken’s testimony will argue that Dr. Ramathuba’s comments serve as a deflection from
her department’s deep-seated issues of corruption, mismanagement, and failure to meet
service delivery obligations, instead unfairly blaming vulnerable populations.
Key Issues and Corruption Exposed
This hearing comes on the heels of troubling findings regarding the Limpopo Health
Department. Dr. Ramathuba’s statements, which targeted foreign nationals as a “burden” to
South Africa’s healthcare system, were made just days after the release of a critical
Auditor-General report and mere weeks after a R125 million PPE corruption scandal
surfaced. Less than three weeks before her statements, Hawks officials raided Dr.
Ramathuba’s MEC offices, uncovering evidence of corruption and misappropriated funds.
The Auditor-General’s report, released just five days before her remarks, revealed
shocking details, including:
● R120million in underspending on critical health services.
● Irregular and wasteful expenditure exceeding R500 million over recent years.
● Persistent vacancies in critical healthcare positions, contributing directly to service
shortfalls.
● Failures in consequence management within the department, fostering an
environment of impunity.
The timing of Dr. Ramathuba’s remarks and her focus on scapegoating foreign nationals,
rather than addressing these internal failures, make her breach of the HPCSA’s ethical
standards particularly egregious. Her comments deflect responsibility from systemic
issues—such as financial mismanagement and corruption—that have contributed to
Limpopo’s healthcare crisis.
Constitutional Duty of Public Servants to Uphold Rights
As an MECfor Health and a healthcare professional, Dr. Ramathuba is held to a high ethical
standard and has a constitutional obligation to uphold the Bill of Rights, which seeks to undo
apartheid’s legacy of discrimination based on race, nationality, and other differences. Section
195 of the South African Constitution emphasizes that public administration must be
governed by democratic values, including equality, fairness, and justice. Section 7(2) of the
Bill of Rights further enforces that “the state must respect, protect, promote and fulfil the
rights in the Bill of Rights,” a duty that every public official, especially healthcare leaders, is
bound by oath to uphold.
Dr. Ramathuba’s rhetoric violates these principles, casting blame on foreign nationals
instead of addressing structural weaknesses, undermining public trust, and fostering a
divisive and dangerous narrative. In healthcare, where public trust is essential for positive
health outcomes, such misrepresentation and scapegoating risk alienating vulnerable
populations, creating barriers to equitable healthcare access, and weakening the integrity of
the entire system.
Call for Accountability
The coalition urges the HPCSA to hold Dr. Ramathuba accountable for these serious
violations of professional ethics and constitutional responsibilities. South Africa’s healthcare
leaders must prioritize equitable treatment for all, fostering trust, compassion, and justice.
Ensuring accountability in this case is vital to restoring public confidence and reinforcing the
commitment to ethical standards and inclusivity that should guide the nation’s healthcare
system
Contact Information
Mike Ndlovu
Email : media@kaax.org.za
: sharone@lhr.org.za
: nigel@transforming.org.za
Phone: +27 68 552 2510