Staff Reporter

South Africa’s two largest opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), have separately condemned the actions of Operation Dudula, a movement accused of aggressively blocking foreign nationals from accessing public health facilities.

The parties are calling for law enforcement to intervene, citing a violation of constitutional rights and a threat to public health.

In a statement, the DA urged Acting Police Minister, Professor Firoz Cachalia, to deploy public order policing units to hospitals and clinics, particularly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, where reports of xenophobic intimidation and a denial of healthcare services have been widespread.

The party highlighted that these actions, also attributed to groups like March on March, are in direct contravention of Section 27 of the South African Constitution, which guarantees every individual the right to access healthcare services, including emergency and reproductive health care, regardless of nationality.

The DA’s condemnation framed the issue not as a result of foreign nationals, but as a failure of the state.

“While South Africa’s public health sector indeed faces vast constraints and challenges, many of them due to corruption and mismanagement. This is not the fault of desperate foreign nationals seeking medical care,” the statement read.

To address the alleged failure of the Department of Health to protect patients, the party has submitted parliamentary questions.
The DA also warned of the serious public health consequences of turning away sick individuals.
“If we stop treating any person with communicable diseases, vast outbreaks will follow which will directly affect South Africans too,” the statement noted.

The DA challenged Operation Dudula to redirect its efforts towards holding provincial health officials accountable for systemic failures, such as the alleged failure of the Gauteng government to provide radiation therapy to cancer patients despite a court order.

Echoing the condemnation, EFF leader Julius Malema called for a formal investigation into the movement, describing its members as a group of thugs.

Malema warned that their actions were fuelling xenophobic sentiments and posed a risk to community stability.

He called for the Political Killings Task Team to investigate the group’s activities.
The party reinforced the principle that healthcare is a fundamental right.

“Stopping communicable diseases demands that every sick person be treated in public health facilities. Healthcare is a right that belongs to us all, no matter where we come from,” EFF concluded.