Desperate Zimbabwean Teen in South Africa Denied Liver Transplant Due to Her Nationality
Desperate Zimbabwean Teen in South Africa Denied Liver Transplant Due to Her Nationality – A legal and medical battle has erupted in Johannesburg, where the parents of 15-year-old Vanessa Mafu — a Zimbabwean girl suffering from a life-threatening autoimmune condition — are fighting for her right to a liver transplant at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.
Vanessa has been diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, a condition that has already progressed to liver cirrhosis.
Her doctors have warned that a liver transplant is urgently needed to save her life.
However, despite her deteriorating health, the hospital informed her family that she does not qualify to receive a liver from a deceased South African donor due to her nationality.
Her father, Vuyelwa Ncube, expressed his distress in a sworn affidavit filed at the Johannesburg High Court, explaining that his expired work permit is currently under review, and the delay in processing his documents should not cost his daughter her life.
“The doctors made it clear: she either needs a donation from a living relative or from a deceased donor who has consented to organ donation,” said Ncube.
“But we were then told Vanessa couldn’t be added to the national priority list for deceased donors because she is Zimbabwean.”
Ncube is now seeking an urgent court order compelling the hospital to proceed with the transplant. He and his wife have offered to cover the estimated R1.5 million cost themselves. He also stated that no law was ever presented to him barring foreign nationals from receiving transplants.
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Meanwhile, the family’s lawyer, Advocate Simba Chitando, condemned the hospital’s response, calling it “xenophobic, inhuman and a clear violation of a child’s right to life.”
He said the hospital had since discharged Vanessa, worsening an already dire situation.
“This is not just about saving one girl’s life,” Chitando said. “It reflects a disturbing loss of legal, moral and pan-African values. But we remain resolute and will fight to ensure Vanessa gets the treatment she needs.”
Chitando has also appealed to Zimbabweans — particularly within the business sector — to help secure a new hospital that can keep Vanessa stable as they continue to seek justice and medical intervention.
An urgent court hearing is expected in the coming days, where the family hopes to secure a ruling that could change not only Vanessa’s fate but also the way foreign patients are treated in South African public hospitals.
