Anti-Migrant 'Operation' Clashes with South African Rights Groups
Human rights organisations have intervened to prevent members of the anti-immigration group Operation Dudula from entering the offices of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) in Johannesburg.
Operation Dudula had planned to deliver memoranda to SERI, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), and the Helen Suzman Foundation, accusing them of being "unpatriotic" for defending undocumented immigrants. Supporters marched from Mary Fitzgerald Square to Braamfontein, chanting inflammatory slogans. The situation escalated, resulting in shoving and insults, and police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Operation Dudula eventually moved on to the SAHRC offices, where they submitted their memorandum.
SERI's executive director, Nomzamo Zondo, said that their right to protest but criticised their misdirected anger, warning against scapegoating migrants. Abahlali baseMjondolo's Thapelo Mohapi called for unity, urging South Africans to address structural issues with the government rather than blaming fellow Africans.
Operation Dudula marched against human rights organisations they say are protecting “illegal foreigners.”
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South Africa:
Death Threats from Operation Dudula Supporters
Abahlali, 21 July 2025
On 17 July a small group of Operation Dudula supporters marched on the offices of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), a social justice non-profit organisation in… Read more »
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South Africa:
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Vigilante group is controlling clinic queues in Johannesburg Read more »
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South Africa:
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Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia stands in solidarity with the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), together with Abahlali baseMjondolo, the Inner City Federation, and the… Read more »
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South Africa:
Solidarity with SERI and Other Organisations Under Attack by Operation Dudula
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Around the world, right-wing forces are scapegoating migrants for the devastation caused by capitalism and, in countries like South Africa, extreme corruption. Read more »
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South Africa:
New Mothers Denied Access to Gauteng Health Facilities By Anti-Migrant Groups
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With anti-migrant groups blocking foreign nationals from access, health facilities are becoming battlegrounds for exclusionary healthcare. Read more »
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South Africa:
Who is Entitled To Access to Healthcare in South Africa?
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The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) reminds the public and all relevant stakeholders that the right to access healthcare services in South Africa is a universal… Read more »
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South Africa:
Tensions Rise At Hillbrow Clinic As Operation Dudula Attempts to Deny Migrants Healthcare Access
Daily Maverick, 25 June 2025
On Wednesday, 25 June 2025, Operation Dudula once again disrupted access to Johannesburg's Hillbrow Clinic, targeting foreign nationals and denying them healthcare in defiance of… Read more »
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South Africa:
Home Affairs and Police Deny Collusion With Operation Dudula As Court Battle Continues
Daily Maverick, 11 June 2025
Accusations of 'state-enabled xenophobia' flew in the Gauteng Division of the High Court on Wednesday as SAPS members and Home Affairs officials denied colluding with the… Read more »
InFocus
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According to The Conversation, a long-awaited policy statement - called a White Paper - outlining proposed changes to the country's asylum and immigration system offers vague proposals to address problems that are less about immigration than bureaucratic and political mismanagement, providing a "smokescreen" to hide government faults.
This comes after Human Rights Watch
Read more »
A group of immigrant women were told by Operation Dudula members to stand to one side when trying to get their children vaccinated at Jeppe Clinic.
