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Limpopo ANC and women’s league argue that the misconduct charges lodged at the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s (HPCSA) were politically motivated.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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The misconduct case against Limpopo premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba, at the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s (HPCSA) is taking a turn following revelations that the patient she allegedly rebuked was never contacted by the complainants.

One of the complainants, Sharon Ekambaram, the head of the Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme at Lawyers for Human Rights testified at HPCSA hearing on Friday at the Sheraton Hotel in Pretoria.

Ramathuba’s representative, Advocate Tebogo Mathibedi SC, sharply raised a point that Ekambaram did not consult with the patient, a Zimbabwean national, to fortify her complaint.

The HPCSA accused Ramathuba of allegedly chiding the patient at Bela Bela hospital in August 2022. Ramathuba, who was then Health MEC, sharply raised a concern about the strain that undocumented immigrants put on the country’s inadequate health resources.

Ramathuba was monitoring hospitals where she had implored private doctors to offer elective surgeries for free to indigent people in the province. She made visits after receiving complaints from the doctors that illegal Zimbabweans were benefitting.

The fact that the patient is not taking part in the case has stoked and strengthened speculations that the charges were politically-motivated.

“Whose interests are they representing or right they are protecting if the patient was not contacted during investigation and is not part of the case?”  asked one of the premier’s sympathisers.

“The aim is to weaken the ANC in one of the provinces where it is still very strong. The premier should stay with this matter hanging over her head,” he added.

The ANC in Limpopo and the women’s league have issued statements defending Ramathuba - also highlighting that the charges were buttressed by those with political interests.

The woman had received surgery and ready to go when Ramathuba confronted her. She disappeared without paying a bill of about R200 000. The ANCWL said in statement that the woman received the surgery reserved for South Africans “corruptly” and topped it off by not paying the bill.

Ekarambum said that Ramathuba was aware that the incident was being recorded and should have ordered that the recording be stopped when she addressed the patient. Later, she should have distanced herself from the video.

Ekarambum said that Ramathuba did not follow the HPCSA’s social media guidelines.

She said that such incidents sparked xenophobia and stimulated vigilante groupings such as Operation Dudula to target foreign nationals. “The video was spread by people who are xenophobic. The person who recorded it was part of her entourage,” Ekarambum said.

Mathibedi SC said that Ramathuba would testify that she was not aware of anyone recording her and did not put the recording on social media.

He added that the premier would deny making derogatory comments about the patient and having anything to do with vigilante acts targeted at foreigners.

“Can you give evidence that the discussion (Ramathuba had with the patient) fuelled xenophobia in the country?” Mathibedi SC said.

Mathibedi SC said that if Ramathuba was xenophobic she would not release health resources to help Zimbabweans who get involved in road accidents every now and then in the province.

The hearing was postponed to August 4 to 8 in 2025.

“This is surprising,” said the premier’s sympathiser, “that soon after the incident, the HPCSA wanted to conduct the hearing very quickly and even wanted to call the premier from China where she was.”