Amid growing tensions over healthcare access, Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) researcher Thato Masiangoako has strongly criticized vigilante groups like Operation Dudula for unlawfully blocking foreign nationals from entering hospitals, warning that such actions violate constitutional rights and risk escalating xenophobic violence.
“Unlawful and Dangerous” Actions
In an interview, Masiangoako expressed sympathy for both desperate South Africans struggling with an overburdened healthcare system and migrants facing exclusion—but condemned Operation Dudula’s tactics as illegal.
“The Immigration Act is clear: only the state has the authority to demand documentation,” she said. “This conduct is dangerous, sad, and concerning. It fills a leadership vacuum with harmful, unchecked bias.”
The group, which has stationed members at clinics to demand IDs, claims it is protecting scarce resources for citizens. However, Masiangoako argued that denying healthcare to migrants does not solve systemic issues like doctor shortages, medication scarcity, or crumbling infrastructure.
Constitutional Rights vs. Xenophobic Rhetoric
Masiangoako emphasized that Section 27 of South Africa’s Constitution guarantees healthcare access to all within the country’s borders, regardless of immigration status. She drew parallels to apartheid-era pass laws, warning that vigilante discrimination could have deadly consequences.
“What if someone dies after being denied care?” she asked. “It’s reminiscent of a time when the majority in this country weren’t considered South African. We should know better.”
Political Leadership Urged to Act
The researcher called out political parties—including ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance—for inflaming tensions with “misinformation and inflammatory speech.” With rising living costs, water shortages, and unemployment fueling public frustration, she urged leaders to steer discourse away from xenophobia.
“No one denies the hardships South Africans face,” she said. But scapegoating migrants ignores the real, complex crises—like class and racial disparities in healthcare access.”
A History of Violence
Masiangoako also highlighted that 30% of victims in the 2008 xenophobic attacks were South Africans, underscoring how unchecked rhetoric harms everyone. She warned that only migrants of certain races and economic classes face such targeting, exposing deeper prejudices.
The Way Forward
While the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill aims to address inequities, Masiangoako stressed that respecting constitutional rights and improving governance—not vigilante exclusion—are the solutions.
“Leadership must act before more harm is done,” she said. “The right to healthcare is non-negotiable.”
As tensions simmer, the debate over healthcare access reveals a nation grappling with inequality, identity, and the legacy of exclusion—with lives hanging in the balance.
