ZANU PF has sparked outrage among its diaspora population after declaring that it will not extend healthcare or medical coverage to citizens living outside the country — including those residing in neighbouring South Africa.
Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi made the announcement in Parliament while responding to a question from opposition lawmaker Corban Madzivanyika, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) MP for Mbizo. In his reply, Ziyambi stated that Zimbabwe’s limited national budget could not accommodate the medical needs of citizens abroad, especially when domestic healthcare services are already under severe strain.
“Our budget cannot cater for people outside the country when we are failing to provide adequately for those inside Zimbabwe,” Ziyambi said. “The priority is to implement a National Health Insurance Scheme that covers those residing within our borders.”
His remarks come at a time when thousands of Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa — many of them undocumented — are facing increased barriers to accessing public healthcare. Activist groups such as Operation Dudula have led campaigns demanding that foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans, be excluded from already strained health services, claiming that citizens should be prioritized.
The Minister’s comments have stoked anger and disappointment among Zimbabweans living abroad, many of whom feel doubly victimized — first by a government whose policies drove them into exile, and now by its refusal to acknowledge their continuing contributions to the nation’s survival.
Zanu PF Abandons Diaspora as Government Refuses Healthcare for Zimbabweans Abroad
Since the early 2000s, Zimbabwe has experienced a prolonged economic and political collapse, rooted in ZANU PF’s authoritarian governance, rampant corruption, violent land seizures, and chronic mismanagement of state resources. These conditions have pushed millions of Zimbabweans into neighboring countries and beyond, turning them into economic refugees in search of better opportunities and basic dignity.
For many, the decision to leave Zimbabwe was not made lightly. It was a matter of survival amid collapsing public services, empty supermarket shelves, and a currency rendered worthless by hyperinflation. Today, Zimbabweans form one of the largest migrant communities in Southern Africa, with significant numbers also residing in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Despite the hardships they face abroad — including xenophobic violence, discrimination, and legal uncertainties — Zimbabweans in the diaspora continue to support the country in critical ways. Chief among these is through remittances: money sent home to relatives that helps cover food, school fees, and medical expenses. In 2023 alone, diaspora remittances topped US$1.7 billion, providing one of the few reliable inflows of foreign currency to the cash-strapped government.
Critics argue that ZANU PF’s refusal to offer any form of social protection to Zimbabweans abroad is not only callous but also hypocritical. “The government is happy to collect billions in remittances from its diaspora, but refuses to offer even the most basic support in return,” said political analyst Tinashe Moyo. “It’s an exploitative relationship — the state benefits from its exiles but refuses to recognize their rights.”
In his defence, Minister Ziyambi drew comparisons with South Africa, pointing out that Pretoria does not fund healthcare for its nationals living in Zimbabwe. “Why should we fund services for citizens abroad when their host countries don’t do the same for their people here?” he asked.
But observers note a critical difference: the migration of South Africans to Zimbabwe has never occurred on the scale — nor under the desperate conditions — that Zimbabweans have experienced. Zimbabwe’s mass exodus, they argue, is not a lifestyle choice but a direct result of decades of misrule, economic collapse, and political repression.
“The government must accept that people left not because they wanted to, but because the conditions at home became unbearable,” said a Zimbabwean nurse based in Johannesburg. “We are not tourists. We are survivors of a broken system, and we still contribute to the country’s wellbeing from afar.”
Diaspora organizations have called on the government to reconsider its stance, warning that continued neglect of Zimbabweans abroad will only deepen the disconnect between the state and its global citizens. Some have proposed a contributory health insurance scheme tailored for Zimbabweans in the diaspora — one that would allow access to limited but essential services in times of crisis.
For now, however, ZANU PF appears unwilling to engage such ideas. As frustrations mount, many Zimbabweans abroad are once again reminded of the circumstances that forced them to leave — and the political leadership that refuses to reckon with the consequences of its own failures.
