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| 26 April 2021: The funeral service of Deborah Furaha Ilunga held in Atteridgeville in Pretoria. Ilunga had breast cancer but was denied healthcare services when she could not pay an upfront fee before receiving treatment. (Photograph by Alet Pretorius) |
New regulations mean a person’s immigration status determines whether they can access healthcare, as documented asylum seekers and migrants who cannot pay are turned away from hospitals.
Life wasn’t easy for Deborah Furaha Ilunga. When she left the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to apply for asylum in South Africa, she hoped it would lead to better opportunities to build the life she wanted.
Like most refugees and asylum seekers in Johannesburg, she found it difficult finding work. Settling into densely populated Yeoville, with its thriving migrant communities, Ilunga struggled, surviving on precarious and irregular piece jobs.
At one point, things picked up a bit for her and she started a small restaurant in Yeoville. But it didn’t last long, and she had to resort to asking family members in the DRC for help.
By Jan Bornman.
Full story at New Frame.
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