JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – The South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) applauds Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) members for their decisive rejection of political activism at the Annual General Meeting on 26 June 2025.
The membership has spoken clearly: healthcare governance must remain professional, not political. By overwhelmingly rejecting the candidate backed by Health Care Workers for Palestine, a group dedicated to anti-Israel political activism, DHMS members have protected their scheme from ideological capture. This outcome demonstrates that South Africans refuse to allow their healthcare to become a political battleground.
The stakes were clear. Under the Medical Schemes Act, trustees must act with “due care, diligence, skill and good faith in the best interests of the Scheme and its members”, not advance external political agendas. The rejected candidate’s supporters sought to exploit DHMS’s governance structure to promote their anti-Israel activism, directly contradicting trustees’ fiduciary duties.
This victory highlights the need for continued vigilance. The SAZF calls on all medical schemes, healthcare institutions, and public bodies to implement robust safeguards against future infiltration attempts. Healthcare platforms, educational institutions, and public services must never become launching pads for political warfare.
