By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
A South African court has ordered anti-migrant group Operation Dudula to stop blocking foreign nationals from entering public hospitals, clinics, and schools, ruling that the group’s actions are unlawful.
The Johannesburg High Court issued the order on Tuesday after several rights organisations, including Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia, filed a case accusing Operation Dudula of harassment and intimidation.
Operation Dudula members have been staging protests at health facilities and schools in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, demanding identity cards and preventing non-South Africans from entering.
In his ruling, Judge Leicester Adams said the group must immediately stop “intimidating, harassing [or] interfering with access” to public services.
He also prohibited members from making hate speech, unlawfully evicting foreign nationals, or encouraging others to do so.
The judge further ruled that law enforcement officers must not conduct warrantless searches in foreigners’ private spaces and should only request identification if they have “reasonable suspicion” that a person is in the country illegally.
South Africa is home to about 2.4 million migrants, making up just under 4% of the population, according to official figures. Most migrants come from neighbouring countries such as Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, which have long provided labour to South Africa.
Xenophobia has been a recurring issue in the country, often accompanied by violent attacks. Anti-migrant sentiment has increasingly become a political talking point in recent years.
Operation Dudula members have faced arrests before several were detained in August for blocking hospital entrances but were later released with warnings.
Following the latest ruling, the group said it was disappointed and planned to appeal the decision, according to South African news outlet News24.
Rights groups have welcomed the court’s decision.
In a statement, Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia said the judgment provides critical protection for those targeted by xenophobic attacks.
“In a country founded on the rejection of apartheid, we cannot allow ourselves to be subjected to the xenophobic hate promoted by Operation Dudula,” the organisation said.