Tensions rise as Operation Dudula and Abahlali Basemjondolo clash over undocumented foreigners' access to healthcare, sparking protests at human rights offices in Johannesburg and Durban. Image: Groundup/Jan Bornman.
(The Post News)– A clash broke out between members of Abahlali Basemjondolo and Operation Dudula as the latter marched to the offices of human rights organizations in Johannesburg. Operation Dudula was protesting these organizations’ defense of foreign nationals, whom they accuse of overburdening the healthcare system.
The confrontation took place in Braamfontein, where Abahlali Basemjondolo members blocked Operation Dudula and the March and March Movement from entering one of the buildings.
In recent weeks, both Operation Dudula and the March and March Movement have been actively blocking undocumented foreign nationals from accessing public healthcare services in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Their actions have drawn strong criticism from several human rights organizations, which have labeled the campaigns as inhumane and illegal.
Protesters expressed frustration over what they perceive as the unfair use of public resources. One marcher told eNCA that South Africa cannot sustain the entire African continent and highlighted that education and healthcare are paid for in other African countries, so why should they be free in SA while South Africans are not paying tax?
Meanwhile, in Durban, Operation Dudula and the March and March Movement marched to the offices of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), accusing the body of siding with undocumented foreigners. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, March and March’s Teresa Nortjie claimed that the SAHRC is “an unpatriotic NGO.” Nortjie said the SAHRC is “fighting for the wrong side of illegal immigrants instead of fighting for SA.
Defending their actions, Operation Dudula’s KZN spokesperson, Sifiso Manyala, said their campaign is not xenophobic; medical cover is a requirement for foreign nationals entering the country. Both groups maintain that South Africans should be prioritized and have called for organizations supporting undocumented migrants to leave the country along with those they are protecting.
Journalist-Vuyiseka@thepostnews.net
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