BY LERATO PHOSISI
The South Africa’s recent wave of mass displacement and deportation of migrants is not a migration crisis. It is a failure to uphold constitutional rights, public health, and human dignity.
That is the stark warning in a new statement released by Healthcare Workers Against Xenophobia, HCWAX, backed by 30 endorsing organisations from across the health, human rights and civil society sectors.
The collective says the policy approach is producing immediate and lasting damage to communities, health systems, and to South Africa’s international obligations.
According to HCWAX, the crackdowns have led to people avoiding clinics, children missing vaccinations, pregnant people delivering without care, and patients with chronic illnesses like TB, HIV and diabetes being cut off from treatment. When people fear arrest at a health facility, the statement argues, diseases do not stop at borders they spread.
“This is not about paperwork. This is about bodies,” HCWAX said. “When we deny healthcare to one group, we weaken health security for everyone in South Africa.”
The organisations also documented cases of family separation, homelessness, loss of income, and xenophobic violence linked to the operations. Vulnerable groups including women, children, asylum seekers, and people living with disabilities are said to be bearing the heaviest burden.
The 31 groups are calling on government to take immediate steps: Guarantee access to healthcare for all people in South Africa, regardless of immigration status, in line with the Constitution. End raids and arrests at or near health facilities and ensure healthcare workers are not compelled to act as immigration officials. Protect people from xenophobic violence and hold perpetrators accountable. “South Africa’s Constitution and its health laws are clear,” the statement reads. “The right to healthcare is not conditional on nationality. Undermining it undermines us all.”
For international observers, the statement frames the issue beyond politics. Mass displacement without health safeguards, the groups argue, creates public health risks that cross provinces and borders, and sets a precedent that weakens regional stability.
The endorsing organisations include clinics, NGOs, research bodies and health professional associations, signalling growing concern within the medical community about the health impact of current enforcement.
HCWAX says it will continue to monitor facilities, support affected patients, and work with government to find solutions that protect both people and public health.
“We can secure borders without sacrificing humanity,” the statement concludes. “The cost of doing otherwise will be measured in lives.
