Operation Dudula blocks immigrants from accessing life-saving medicines at Johannesburg clinics despite court order

Immigrants in South Africa are being denied access to life‑saving medication, including antiretrovirals (ARVs), because of the actions of the anti‑immigrant group Operation Dudula. Although a Gauteng High Court order prohibits the group from blocking foreign nationals from healthcare, witnesses and clinic visits confirm that the practice continues.

On 4 November, the court ruled that Operation Dudula could not demand ID documents from the public or prevent foreign nationals from receiving medical care. Nevertheless, immigrants say the group’s members, often in collaboration with clinic staff, still turn them away. Beauty, whose 19‑year‑old daughter has HIV, reported that Operation Dudula members chased her daughter from Alberton Clinic. Kudzai, a 35‑year‑old immigrant who has been receiving ARVs at Spartan Clinic in Kempton Park since 2017, was also denied entry. “I cannot die because some people are trying to gain attention through politics. I just want to live and take care of my children,” she said.

Investigations at Johannesburg clinics confirmed that immigrants are being blocked. At Spartan Clinic, a woman in plain clothes checked IDs alongside a security guard, allowing only those with South African IDs to enter. When a reporter questioned the guards and the woman, they claimed a “new rule” had been passed by the community, permitting only South African citizens to attend the clinic.

The national health department has urged immigrants to report anyone who obstructs their access to medicine, including health workers, to the police. Department spokesperson Foster Mohale warned that if Operation Dudula’s actions are occurring, they constitute a serious offense and a deliberate breach of the law. The court order—granted after an application by Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia and other organisations—explicitly forbids Operation Dudula from demanding IDs, intimidating or harassing foreign nationals, and interfering with their healthcare. It also requires the group’s leader, Zandile Dabula, to communicate the order to members.

Despite the ruling, Operation Dudula’s leader responded vaguely to questions, stating that “ordinary citizens have joined the struggle outside our mandate.” The group’s actions have been widely condemned, and the health department continues to urge immigrants to report any incidents of denied healthcare.