The Department of Health has declined the applications of Zimbabwean healthcare workers seeking employment in South Africa, as Zimbabwe has been designated a country from which no recruitment has taken place.
A letter sent to prospective work seekers, dated 20 September, said that South Africa was obliged to abide by protocols from various bodies, including the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the World Health Organisation, which were designed to limit the recruitment of healthcare workers from developing countries.
The letter reads: ‘These agreements, protocols and recruitment codes were designed to prevent the uncontrolled recruitment of health professionals from countries where the public health system is faced with huge staff shortages, particularly with regard to health professional occupations. In view of the above, the department regrets to inform you that your application for endorsement towards registration and employment in South Africa was not successful.’
Butholezwe Nyathi, the chairperson of the Migrant Workers’ Association-SA, expressed dismay at this development. ‘When I wrote the examinations in 2005, we heard about this protocol that was in place during the apartheid era. It is surprising that it is being reintroduced by the democratic government that is also proposing [a] SADC work visa in the White Paper on international migration,’ he said.
A representative of the Health Department was quoted in the media as saying that applicants could apply for a letter from their respective health authorities that released them to work in South Africa.
[Image: marionbrun from Pixabay]