Solutions to power dynamics in healthcare systems are largely lacking. Applying intersectional inquiry, could broaden the understanding of the axes of power, and social constructs as predictors of health-related behaviours. Intersectionality studies humans as shaped by the interaction of different social constructs and conditions - race, caste, gender identity, etc. Recognising these complex dynamics within health systems provides understanding of how social inequalities and their drivers disempower the less advantaged from seeking and providing optimised care within health systems. Anthropologists actively engage in addressing disease, hunger, post-colonial histories and poverty. As a discipline, it is itself part of colonial history. How intersectional dynamics shape power dynamics in low- and middle-income countries is understudied. In South Africa, apartheid history, which fundamentally stripped black people of their power , remains a formidable influence affecting lived experiences of people seeking and providing healthcare, differences that were heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic . Our paper offers useful tools to enhance understanding of race, gender and ethnicity as they relate to one of the world’s greatest health challenges - increasing antibiotic resistant infections - which threatens modern medical practice as we know it. We aim to present these tools in a sensitive and ethical manner that details the South African experience to a global audience.