South Africa's Ramaphosa says he will sign National Health Insurance bill

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that he will sign the National Health Insurance bill which is waiting for his approval after it was passed by lawmakers last year. "It is a matter of time," he told journalists in Cape Town.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that he will sign the National Health Insurance bill which is waiting for his approval after it was passed by lawmakers last year.

"It is a matter of time," he told journalists in Cape Town. The law aims to provide healthcare to millions of poorer citizens in a major overhaul of a two-tier system, although it has been strongly opposed by business groups which say it will lead to disinvestment in the healthcare sector and damage South Africa's already fragile economy.

The bill is popular among voters although concrete changes are unlikely to come soon even once it is signed, analysts say. "It will get bogged down in court for years," said Louw Nel, senior political analyst at Oxford Economics Africa.