The high court in Johannesburg has ordered Operation Dudula to stop harassing foreign nationals and directed the police and key government departments to enforce the ruling.
The high court in Johannesburg has ordered Operation Dudula to stop harassing foreign nationals and directed the police and key government departments to enforce the ruling.
In a judgment that was just over four months in the making, the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg has interdicted the anti-migrant group Operation Dudula from barring access to healthcare facilities or schools to any foreign national in South Africa.
The case began two years ago, in 2023, when Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (Kaax), the South African Informal Traders Forum, the Inner City Federation, and Abahlali baseMjondolo, represented by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute, filed the legal challenge.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
The Department of Home Affairs and the South African Police Service (SAPS) were added as respondents in the application for failing to protect vulnerable communities from Operation Dudula's xenophobic conduct and, in some instances, for allegedly colluding with or supporting the group's activities.
The landmark judgment came after Operation Dudula, which is registered as a political party and has its sights on the 2026 local government election, embarked on a sustained campaign to block foreign nationals from accessing hospitals and clinics and recently announced plans to do the same outside schools.
On Tuesday, 4...
