Judul : 'People First, Not Populism' - Operation Dudula's Anti-Migrant Tactics Under Fire
link : 'People First, Not Populism' - Operation Dudula's Anti-Migrant Tactics Under Fire
'People First, Not Populism' - Operation Dudula's Anti-Migrant Tactics Under Fire
On the heels of its latest wave of clinic disruptions across Johannesburg, controversial group Operation Dudula is again coming under fire for barring foreign nationals from accessing healthcare.
Several community leaders expressed outrage over the anti-migrant group's actions, urging that the group's conduct violates South Africa's Constitution. Under Section 27, everyone has the right to basic healthcare and emergency medical treatment, regardless of their nationality or documentation. However, Operation Dudula believes it's within its rights to demand priority for South Africans in healthcare.
Founded in Soweto, Johannesburg, in 2021, the anti-migrant movement aims to address perceived socioeconomic problems by targeting undocumented immigrants. The group, whose name means "to force out" or "knock down" in isiZulu, claims that illegal immigrants strain public healthcare systems and contribute to crime, exacerbating unemployment and poverty in South Africa. Critics, including human rights groups, accuse the group of xenophobia, hate speech, and unlawful vigilantism, while supporters argue it addresses legitimate concerns about crime and resource allocation.
Dale McKinley, an independent policy analyst and part of the coordinating committee of Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, said South Africa's healthcare and immigration systems face serious challenges. However, he criticised Operation Dudula for blaming undocumented migrants, saying such scapegoating is both unlawful and violates Constitutional law, but it also diverts attention from the real issues within the healthcare system.
McKinley was speaking during a television interview on Newzroom Afrika.
"If that is a concern, then let's look at where the real crisis lies within our healthcare system. I want to give one example that is appropriate in relation to the link between the blaming of international migrants and the healthcare crisis. If you remember, a couple of years ago, Phophi Ramathuba is the Premier of Limpopo, was caught virally on video basically berating Zimbabwean women and saying, 'You are overburdening our healthcare system, you should go back home', and so forth."
McKinley said this incident was a clear example of how migrant-blaming diverts attention from systemic failures.
He said the controversy surrounding Dr. Ramathuba's viral remarks helped draw attention to the wrong issue. His organisation found that the Limpopo health department, under Ramathuba's leadership, had over R150 million in unexplained and misappropriated expenditure over three years. He said that blaming foreign nationals, particularly Zimbabwean women seeking healthcare, distracted from the real crisis.
"That's the larger point we're making here," he said. "We need to have a serious conversation, as opposed to people making threats and harassing individuals who are simply seeking a basic service.
'Why should we care? These people are here illegally.'
McKinley also challenged the widespread use of the term illegal, calling it dangerous and misleading. He said labelling someone as "illegal" wrongly suggests they have no rights or legal standing, which contradicts South African Constitutional protections. He argued that undocumented is a more accurate term.
He said thousands of South African citizens who are undocumented have been caught in Operation Dudula's indiscriminate activities.
"The larger point is not to say that there are these hordes of illegal immigrants, it's to look at where the real crisis of documentation lies. That crisis, with regards to migrants, lies with the Department of Home Affairs and a dysfunctional immigration system. It also involves, and is partly the responsibility of, the South African Police Service. What you have is a situation, for example, here in Johannesburg, where police dragnets in the CBD result in people's documents being torn up."
He said that in some cases, migrants whose documents are torn up or taken by police are told they can get them back by paying R2,000, effectively being extorted.
McKinley warned that scapegoating foreign nationals sets a dangerous precedent, saying that leaders who dodge accountability by blaming migrants today will eventually target ordinary citizens when they fail to deliver services.
"We've had service delivery protests and engagements for years now, around water, electricity, healthcare, and education. These are very real issues for people on the ground, and emotions are running high. If we look at what's happening in the United States or Europe, migrants are easy scapegoats. Blaming them becomes politically useful; it's a way to popularize or weaponize an issue to get support."
"We generally call that populist politics, and we have our own populist politicians here," he said. "The deeper issue is, if people really want change, if we want quality water and accessible healthcare services, if we want clinics where people are treated on time, then we must deal with the fundamental problems."
McKinley said that there are people who exploit the system and criminals who must be held accountable. However, he said that the approach taken by Operation Dudula, which singles out and scapegoats migrants, not only fails to solve the problem but actively makes it worse.
"Let's go to our Constitution, because we are a country that has a supreme law."
McKinley urged South Africans to return to the principles of the Constitution, which guarantees socio-economic rights to all who live and work in the country, regardless of nationality, race, or ethnicity.
He said that the Constitution does not say 'because you're born in Zimbabwe', or that it depends on your ethnicity or race. He said Operation Dudula's tactics are a return to the past, where people were judged by how they looked or spoke, and used dompas.
South Africans who scapegoat migrants today should remember: if our country faces a crisis in the future, and South Africans are forced to migrate, the same treatment could be turned on them, said McKinley.
He said that some principled voices within the African National Congress have spoken out in defence of the Constitution and the values of the liberation struggle. However, he said those voices have increasingly been overshadowed by populists chasing votes, echoing global trends where migration is weaponized for political gain. He said ANC leaders and those in power to reflect on the dangers of blaming people simply for being different, whether in terms of nationality, gender, race, or sexuality, warning that this undermines the progress made since 1994.
Despite the challenges of the last three decades, McKinley said South Africa still stands on a foundation of law and democratic principles. He called on politicians to embrace values like pan-Africanism, Ubuntu, and respect for human dignity.
"It doesn't mean it's a free-for-all, but it means we are part of a community, a Southern African community, an African continent, and a global society. We cannot isolate ourselves. Let's not go down the road of Trump and say 'South Africa First,' or 'America First,' or 'Europe First.' Let's say: human beings first. And that is the fundamental point in our Constitution," he said.
In a statement, the Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia group warned that Operation Dudula threatens not only migrants but everyone who believes in freedom, equality, and constitutionalism. The group stands in strong solidarity with other civil groups like Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), Abahlali baseMjondolo, the Inner City Federation, and the South African Informal Traders Forum, who have condemned Operation Dudula and other anti-migrant groups for scapegoating migrants for the country's economic crises.
The comments on the Newzroom Africa interview supported Operation Dudula's anti-immigrant stance:
@hadassahfirst1478 - Dr Phopi Ramathuba was very right, and she's still right. 'Undocumented' or 'illegal' all the same, Abahambe!
@mrinteldaplug7512 - It is irrelevant. I am paying tax forcefully to help SOUTH AFRICANS, including my parents, and my parent have to stand in long queues because of foreigners, why should I be forced to take care of foreigners unwillingly
@StoryTeller-py8ns - Interviewing a foreigner speaking about our, we, history, etc absolute nonsense. He must go preach this nonsense in Zimbabwe, where he fled. Resources are limited the Constitution itself notes those limitations. South Africa cannot be a free-for-all country, it is simply not sustainable, and lastly, South African belongs to South Africans of all roots that have built, fought for, and died for it! Not everyone who lives in it. We will make this very clear, constitution or not.
Operation Dudula plans to march on the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) and other organizations, accusing them of being "unpatriotic" for providing legal support to migrants and others in South Africa whose rights are under threat.
Copyright 2025 Best for you. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (Best for you).
Tagged: South Africa, Human Rights, Governance, Legal and Judicial Affairs, Health and Medicine, Southern Africa
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).Demikianlah Artikel 'People First, Not Populism' - Operation Dudula's Anti-Migrant Tactics Under Fire
Anda sekarang membaca artikel 'People First, Not Populism' - Operation Dudula's Anti-Migrant Tactics Under Fire dengan alamat link https://www.punyakamu.com/2025/07/people-first-not-populism-operation.html
0 Response to "'People First, Not Populism' - Operation Dudula's Anti-Migrant Tactics Under Fire"
Post a Comment