EFF: “Corruption, Not Foreigners, Behind Collapse Of Public Hospitals”

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) says the collapse of South Africa’s public health system is driven by entrenched corruption, not the presence of foreign nationals seeking care.

This follows the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) interim report, which revealed that more than R2 billion was siphoned from Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital through coordinated syndicates working with officials in the Gauteng Department of Health.

EFF Slams “Criminal Alliance” in Health Sector

In a statement, EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the findings expose “a criminal alliance between politicians, senior officials and syndicates” that has hollowed out the country’s hospitals.

“The picture is, therefore, clear that corruption in healthcare is systemic and protected by those in power,” said Thambo.

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“Patients are dying in overcrowded and under-resourced hospitals not because of foreign nationals, but because the money meant to buy beds, medicines, and equipment is looted by politicians and their criminal partners.”

Pushback Against Anti-Immigrant Campaigns

The EFF’s remarks come as groups like Operation Dudula and March and March continue campaigns demanding the exclusion of foreign nationals from public healthcare facilities.

These groups argue that migrants are straining resources in hospitals already under pressure. Demonstrations in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal have seen protesters block non-South Africans from receiving care, sparking backlash from health workers and civil society organisations who warn such actions are unlawful and risk fuelling xenophobic violence.

“Corruption Is the Real Crisis”

Thambo insisted that the Tembisa scandal highlights where the real crisis lies.
“What happened at Tembisa is happening across South Africa’s health system, where mafias have captured supply chains while government leaders benefit directly,” he said.

According to the EFF, the SIU’s findings prove that corruption — not foreign nationals — is crippling hospitals, leaving staff overwhelmed and patients neglected.

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