South Africa’s anti-immigrant group Operation Dudula—“to get rid of by force”—blocks the hospital’s entrance and demands patients’ IDs to let them enter. Operation Dudula emerged a few years ago, and its visibility has grown as mostly young Black South Africans take part.
Africa’s most developed economy attracts migrants from neighboring Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho and as far away as Nigeria and Ethiopia.
What Drives the Rise of Anti-Migrant Sentiment?
On 31 March 2025, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs deported 46,898 migrants who had entered the country unlawfully, representing an 18 percent rise compared to the previous year.
Operation Dudula was established several years ago and has increased in prominence as predominantly youthful Black South Africans participate.
The number of participants in the group remains unspecified. Its measures have encompassed the closure of foreign-owned establishments and the prohibition of foreign children from enrolling in public institutions.
Operation Dudula members contend that undocumented migrants are occupying occupations traditionally held by South Africans, who are confronted with one of the highest unemployment rates globally, exceeding 31 percent.
South Africa has experienced occasionally lethal surges of such sentiment. In 2008, attacks targeting expatriates nationwide resulted in the deaths of 68 individuals.
However, the emphasis on denying them access to healthcare is a recent development, coinciding with the organized structure of Operation Dudula. The organization has regional leaders, engages in news conferences and debates, and has indicated its intention to establish a political group.The government of South Africa has denounced the actions of Operation Dudula and affirms that the law ensures access to healthcare for all individuals, including expatriates residing unlawfully within the country. The government has posted security at public clinics, but police are overstretched in a country where the crime rate is high.
Migrants Blamed for Broken Healthcare
South Africa spends 8.5 percent of its gross domestic product, or about $15 billion, on health care, higher than everything but education. And yet it has overcrowded hospitals, shortages of medication and poor management.
But many people in other African countries see South Africa as a relatively attractive destination.
South Africa had an estimated 2.4 million foreign nationals in 2022, about 3.9% of the population, according to official statistics, with no breakdown of those there legally or illegally. That was up from the estimate of over 958,000 in the census of 1996.
