Human rights are threatened when health is commodified

The contents of a recent report by the nonprofit organisation Open Secrets, titled Who Owns South Africa?, have been niggling at my conscience.

- Zukiswa Pikoli

This is because of the normalisation of extreme wealth, which in order to exist often comes at great cost to people on the opposite end of the spectrum, who quite literally have less than nothing. And so the question nags: how do we accept that some have it all – and more – while others have less than nothing?

The report zeroes in on those profiteering from the commodification of health – local businesses as well as international ones. This is downright crass and criminal, as it means that a monopoly of people are making money from the sickness of others.

"It is notable that several of the large institutional shareholders operate outside South Africa," the Open Secrets report further states. "This means that a substantial portion of dividends paid by private hospital groups also leaves the country to benefit wealthy investors based elsewhere."