Blaming Zimbabweans for all our healthcare problems smells like Nazi propaganda

Adolf Hitler hated Jewish people. Why? Some say self-hate because he possibly had Jewish roots; others that he orchestrated the deaths of six million Jewish people during World War II because he was upset he had caught a sexually transmitted infection from a Jewish prostitute.

Most of these theories can’t be backed up. But the one thing all these conspiracy theorists agree on is that once Hitler had isolated the Jews and convinced the majority of the German population that all their hardships were because of the Jews, he found willing ears – some so willing they would kill for him.

Much like Limpopo health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba has found willing ears about how foreigners are the reason the country’s health department is in shambles.

Ramathuba is nothing like Hitler and would feel justifiably angry to be compared to him, but her playing to the gallery the past week telling the Zimbabwean patient that she and her fellow countrymen were Limpopo’s department’s biggest problem, ranks up there with Hitler blaming Jews for all that was wrong. Ramathuba’s utterances were not made in a vacuum.

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There is an upsurge of what appears to be reasonable and logical sentiment against “illegal foreigners” in South Africa. Minister of Home Affairs Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is a prominent leader of this sentiment that undocumented foreign nationals are South Africa’s biggest problem.

Ramathuba even referred to Motsaoaledi’s struggles with the same problem when he was health minister. Add ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba to that list of logical thinkers of the “foreigners-are-your-biggest-problem” group and the argument moves to “two doctors and a successful businessman” cannot be wrong.

Foreigners must be South Africa’s biggest problem. But they are wrong and their thoughtless utterances could prove to be fatal at some point.

Operation Dudula followers are listening to these leaders speak and when the next round of xenophobic violence breaks out, they will feel justified in whatever actions they take to get rid of what they have been convinced is their biggest problem: foreigners.

No one will kill foreign nationals and shout that “Dr Phophi Ramathuba made me do it!” But as a leader who has seen the country go up in flames in 2008, and several times after that, why berate a sick foreign national while being recorded and fully aware that the recording will reach everyone, including murderous people waiting to lay their hands on foreign nationals?

When, during the past 28 years of ANC rule, was the health department ever functioning perfectly and was destroyed by the arrival of huge floods of foreign nationals? And why the focus only on African immigrants? “They must go home so we can fix our country.”

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It is true that scarce resources are being stretched very thin by the extra burden to take care of undocumented immigrants. But what is also true is that billions of rands that were meant for the good of the citizens of this country have been misused by government.

It is true that Babita Deokaran was assassinated to cover up corruption at Tembisa Hospital. Where do foreign nationals come into that? Like Hitler did, those who have failed to put up proper immigration infrastructure; those who have been sleeping on the job for three decades at the health department, have gone looking for a scapegoat: the vulnerable African “illegal immigrant”.

If Ramathuba and Motsoaledi were doing their jobs, there wouldn’t be an illegal immigrant in any hospital.