Healthcare Access Crisis in South Africa: Anti-Migrant Movement Strikes

Sun Oct 19 2025 16:20:51 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A community clinic in Diepsloot becomes a battleground over healthcare access for migrants as the anti-migrant group Operation Dudula enforces restrictions.

Operation Dudula has been blocking migrants from accessing healthcare in South Africa, claiming to prioritize citizens amid limited resources. The group's actions have garnered both support and condemnation, creating a significant public health crisis for many, including migrants and some South Africans without proper documentation. Government officials express disapproval of these methods, which challenge constitutional rights.

A community clinic just north of Johannesburg has become the frontline of a battle in South Africa over whether foreigners can access public health facilities.

What started as a small local action in one area in 2022 has spread, with activists from the avowedly anti-migrant group, Operation Dudula, picketing some hospitals and clinics in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. They check identity cards and stop anyone who is not South African from entering.

Despite some arrests, the authorities seem unable to prevent the pickets.

The site of their latest campaign is in Dieplsoot – a poor township of more than 200,000 people near the country's commercial hub.

On a cool, spring Thursday morning, Sicelokuhle Moyo, dressed in a blue-and-beige skirt and thick windbreaker, set out early for the clinic, a routine visit to collect medication for her chronic condition. However, this time, she found men in white T-shirts with the slogan Operation Dudula – Mass Deportation demanding documents for entry.

I said that I had a passport. They said they don't take passports. They want IDs only, Moyo said, her frustration clear. Anyone unable to produce a South African ID was turned away, forcing Moyo and others like her to leave without their medications.

Meanwhile, Operation Dudula's campaigns have found a sympathetic hearing among some Diepsloot residents. Some South Africans believe that limiting access for foreigners has led to improved conditions at clinics, though this also means that many without IDs—including South Africans—are equally affected.

Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla expressed disapproval of Operation Dudula's methods, emphasizing that health is a human right and should not involve coercive tactics. The broader implications of this movement are concerning, as the lack of access to healthcare affects marginalized communities disproportionately, including migrants and low-income South Africans.

As the organization evolves into a political party poised for local government elections, their influence continues to grow, causing tensions to rise between community safety and humanitarian rights in the context of South Africa’s ongoing struggle with xenophobia.