Cape Town – Cabinet has called on foreign nationals living in South Africa to conduct themselves as “well-mannered guests,” following the discovery of government-issued medication among the wreckage of a fatal cross-border bus crash in Limpopo.
The call came after a bus travelling from the Eastern Cape to Zimbabwe overturned on the N1 near Makhado last week, killing 42 people.
According to Eyewitness News, authorities found anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) and other medical supplies bearing South African government labels among the debris, prompting concerns of possible theft and smuggling from state clinics.
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet was disturbed by the discovery.
“Cabinet calls on foreign nationals to be well-mannered guests in South Africa,” she told journalists in Pretoria on Thursday.
“It took a lot of effort to stop the recent unsavoury treatment meted out against foreign nationals at local clinics.”
[WATCH]
“The Cabinet has urged foreign nationals to be respectful and well-mannered guests in South Africa,” said Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni regarding the misuse of public health resources. #LimpopoBuscrash pic.twitter.com/GzTjd78Czv— SABC News (@SABCNews) October 16, 2025
Ntshavheni warned that such incidents could reverse progress made in improving relations between foreign nationals and South African citizens.
“The government has been working hard to ensure that everyone living in South Africa, regardless of nationality, can access healthcare without discrimination. The discovery of medication stolen from clinics undermines that effort,” she said.
According to TimesLIVE, preliminary police investigations suggested the medicines were loaded on the bus without proper documentation.
Limpopo Health Department spokesperson Neil Shikwambana said, ARVs “were part of stock meant for local clinics” and that the department had launched an internal audit to determine whether there was any involvement by health officials.
The Presidency confirmed that law enforcement agencies are investigating how the medicines left government facilities and who was responsible for transporting them across the border.
Ntshavheni also appealed to South Africans to avoid xenophobic reactions, saying that government’s message was about accountability, not hostility. “We are reminding our brothers and sisters who are guests here that our hospitality must be respected,” she said.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
