Are we cynical to wonder whether the headline-grabbing viral video – of Limpopo MEC for health Dr Phophi Ramathuba verbally attacking a Zimbabwean patient for clogging up “her” hospital – arrived at just the right time for the ANC?
This is the week of the anniversary of the assassination of Gauteng health department official Babita Deokaran, who blew the whistle on corruption in the department.
Journalists are also reporting on the widespread looting in the department. The Ramathuba video will have served as a useful diversion, seeking to blame the lack of hospital service delivery on the alleged “burden” of having to treat illegal foreigners.
The ANC, having been outflanked on the issue of illegals – especially by parties like ActionSA – has now jumped on the xenophobic bandwagon, cynically exploiting the rising – and justifiable – anger among ordinary South Africans at the tsunami of illegals which has swamped the country since 1994.
By targeting “the other”, though, the ANC deftly dodges the reality that it, as the organisation which governs this country, is responsible for the mess in the first place.
So many people are here illegally because there is, effectively, no control over our land borders. So many of those illegals are Zimbabweans fleeing the economic collapse of their own country, due in some part to the fact that Pretoria has refused for decades to challenge the murderous Zanu-PF regime in Harare.
Ramathuba’s playing to the sound-bite gallery and medically unethically attacking a patient in public was awful to watch … but support for her was massive among ordinary South Africans.
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In a country mired by economic crisis, people are fighting for survival and they are ready to turn violently on those they believe caused the problem. It is worrying they are now being encouraged by the ANC.
