Education activist warns against denying undocumented children healthcare

An education activist has raised the alarm over what he has described as a dangerous and inhumane trend of denying undocumented foreign children access to basic healthcare in the country. 

Hendrick Makaneta said that such actions not only violated children’s rights but also posed a serious public health risk to all learners.

His remarks come amid growing concerns that some healthcare facilities and schools are refusing services to undocumented minors, many of whom already live on the margins of society. 

According to Makaneta, these practices undermine the spirit and letter of South Africa’s Constitution, which guarantees fundamental rights to all people, regardless of their citizenship status.

He argued that denying healthcare to any child is not only unethical but also short-sighted. 

"By refusing healthcare to undocumented children, we are not protecting South African children, but we are actually endangering them. Preventing access to treatment does not stop the illness," Makaneta said.

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