Zimbabweans Fleeing Xenophobia in South Africa Battle to Get HIV Medicine Back Home

For two decades, Renious Gumbi, a Zimbabwean living with HIV, received free antiretroviral (ARV) treatment at a South African clinic. His life, like that of many other Zimbabweans in South Africa, was upended by escalating xenophobia. Anti-immigrant groups, blaming non-citizens for service delivery issues, blockaded clinics, denying access to essential medication.

Gumbi was unable to obtain his ARVs since June and fell gravely ill. His wife, Senzeni, managed to get him back to Zimbabwe, but it was too late. He died shortly after returning. "It was cruel for South African leaders to leave anti-migrant activists blocking my husband from getting his ARV treatment drugs," Senzeni told Health Policy Watch. She also criticized the Zimbabwean government for lacking a plan for its citizens with HIV in South Africa.

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It was cruel for South African leaders to leave anti-migrant activists blocking my husband from getting his ARV treatment drugs.

Access to ARVs in Zimbabwe is further complicated by stalled talks between the United States and Zimbabwe regarding future health aid. This jeopardizes treatment for approximately 1.2 million people. While South Africa also faces reduced US support, it is not as dependent on external funding for its ARV programs. The influx of an estimated two to three million Zimbabweans into South Africa since the early 2000s has strained both countries' health services, exacerbated by corruption in Zimbabwe.

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It is also heartless for the Zimbabwean government not to have a plan for its people living with HIV in South Africa when the same regime benefits from the money many Zimbabweans based in South Africa formally send to help their loved ones back home.