Despite this, the council offered her an olive branch, saying “the acceptance of the penalty will not constitute a conviction and will not be reflected against your name as a previous conviction”.
Ramathuba, however, did not accept the preliminary findings, which prompted a formal inquiry against her. She lost a case in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria to interdict the HPCSA from conducting an inquiry against her last year.
Speaking to TimesLIVE, ANC Limpopo spokesperson Jimmy Machaka defended the premier, concurring with her stance that the HPCSA should not have investigated the matter as she “made the comments in her capacity as health MEC”.
“The ANC Limpopo has noted the case by [the] HPCSA against Ramathuba. It’s our view that Ramathuba was correct to raise alarm about the illegal foreigners who are over-burdening the health sector in our province and the country,” Machaka said.
“It is our belief there is nothing wrong about the statement she made. The statement was made in her political capacity as health MEC and should not have been subjected to HPCSA inquiry. We believe [the] HPCSA is attempting to enter political terrain.”
SINESIPHO SCHRIEBER
www.timeslive.co.za
