South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana questioned the affordability of providing free public healthcare to undocumented migrants and said state departments should be reformed to curb waste.
The country’s 1996 constitution, forged after the end of White-minority rule, grants services to everyone in the country whether they are there legally or otherwise, he said.
“That was a grave mistake, as legally now we cannot refuse you services,” Godongwana told a forum in the capital, Pretoria, on Monday. “People must come to our country legally. Those who come here illegally, we should be sending them home. Our resources are limited.”
Africa’s most industrialised nation has a difficult relationship with migrants from elsewhere on the continent who are drawn to its relative wealth.
In 2008, about 60 people died and 50 000 were displaced in a wave of xenophobic violence, with foreigners blamed for everything from unemployment to poor government services.
There were similar riots in 2015 and again in 2019, when President Cyril Ramaphosa was forced to apologise to other African nations, who were appalled by the treatment of their nationals.
Local media have also recently reported on incidents of foreigners seeking care being chased away from health clinics by angry residents.
Godongwana also said the Treasury is reviewing government spending to find ways of saving money and avoiding waste.
To make his point, the minister cited the Department of Arts and Culture, which he said includes more than 20 institutions that are all funded by taxpayers, as an example of a prime area for reform.
BLOOMBERG