Group vows to continue blocking access to public health facilities
READ: Operation Dudula | Three women released on a warning
They were arrested for denying foreign nationals access at a healthcare facility.
Police say the women stormed the maternity ward at the Lilian Ngoyi Clinic in Diepkloof, and tried to remove a pregnant woman.
But the arrests have not deterred them.
Shortly after their release, they marched straight back to the clinic, to remove undocumented migrants. Dr Aslam Dasoo from the Health Progressive Forum discussed this with eNCA.
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SowetanLIVE
11 hours ago
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'Be very careful': Here's what Motsoaledi told Operation Dudula
Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has revealed the outcome of his meeting with the anti-migrant group Operation Dudula. The meeting on Tuesday aimed to address the issue of foreign nationals' access to health services. Operation Dudula has been blocking undocumented foreigners from receiving medical care in public clinics and hospitals, claiming they are adding pressure to the already overburdened healthcare system. In an interview with the SABC, Motsoaledi said he explained how the process of immigration works, emphasising that no-one should be denied healthcare, regardless of their documentation status. 'I told them they might be solving what looks like a legitimate problem but using the wrong means,' he said. 'In health, we treat everybody who enters who is sick, and they can't expect us to chase people away, regardless of their nationality. It is just not allowed in healthcare.' He said the group suggested that clinic and hospital clerks should be the ones turning away illegal foreigners from receiving medical care if they can't prove their identity as they did not sign an oath like doctors and nurses. 'If we instruct the clerks not to give anybody a file and they go out and die, we are going to be sued. Imagine a pregnant woman who enters a hospital, is refused care, and goes out to deliver a baby in the street.' Motsoaledi said patients can't be denied medical care even if they can't provide proof of identity. He highlighted the issue of many African countries that have not been able to register all their citizens. 'On the issue of civil registration and vital statistics, it is a problem across the entire African continent. Many African countries have not been able to register all their citizens. In fact, according to the statistics we have, the country that is farthest ahead in registering its citizens is Egypt. 'In South Africa, we have 89% documentation, which means 11% of South Africans are not documented. If you look at our population, 11% would be about 6-million people. They don't have any form of documentation but they are not illegal because they are in their country; they are South Africans.' He warned that many South Africans without IDs would suffer if all patients were required to produce proof of identification when visiting health facilities. 'If you continue to do it the way you are doing it, you are going to turn away many South Africans who are legitimate but do not have documents. Having worked in home affairs, I have met such people. I have met people who are 64 or 65 who are South Africans but never had documents, so [I am saying] be very careful.' Motsoaledi said there was no proper conclusion to the meeting. 'I advised them that problems are solved through the law. We can't have the law of the jungle.'
TimesLIVE
13 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
'Be very careful': Here's what Motsoaledi told Operation Dudula
Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has revealed the outcome of his meeting with the anti-migrant group Operation Dudula. The meeting on Tuesday aimed to address the issue of foreign nationals' access to health services. Operation Dudula has been blocking undocumented foreigners from receiving medical care in public clinics and hospitals, claiming they are adding pressure to the already overburdened healthcare system. In an interview with the SABC, Motsoaledi said he explained how the process of immigration works, emphasising that no-one should be denied healthcare, regardless of their documentation status. 'I told them they might be solving what looks like a legitimate problem but using the wrong means,' he said. 'In health, we treat everybody who enters who is sick, and they can't expect us to chase people away, regardless of their nationality. It is just not allowed in healthcare.' He said the group suggested that clinic and hospital clerks should be the ones turning away illegal foreigners from receiving medical care if they can't prove their identity as they did not sign an oath like doctors and nurses. 'If we instruct the clerks not to give anybody a file and they go out and die, we are going to be sued. Imagine a pregnant woman who enters a hospital, is refused care, and goes out to deliver a baby in the street.' Motsoaledi said patients can't be denied medical care even if they can't provide proof of identity. He highlighted the issue of many African countries that have not been able to register all their citizens. 'On the issue of civil registration and vital statistics, it is a problem across the entire African continent. Many African countries have not been able to register all their citizens. In fact, according to the statistics we have, the country that is farthest ahead in registering its citizens is Egypt. 'In South Africa, we have 89% documentation, which means 11% of South Africans are not documented. If you look at our population, 11% would be about 6-million people. They don't have any form of documentation but they are not illegal because they are in their country; they are South Africans.' He warned that many South Africans without IDs would suffer if all patients were required to produce proof of identification when visiting health facilities. 'If you continue to do it the way you are doing it, you are going to turn away many South Africans who are legitimate but do not have documents. Having worked in home affairs, I have met such people. I have met people who are 64 or 65 who are South Africans but never had documents, so [I am saying] be very careful.' Motsoaledi said there was no proper conclusion to the meeting. 'I advised them that problems are solved through the law. We can't have the law of the jungle.'
IOL News
19 hours ago
- IOL News
Health minister warns Operation Dudula on healthcare access for undocumented immigrants
Operation Dudula has once again vowed to continue its anti-illegal immigrant campaign at public health facilities across the country, despite a meeting with Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, on Monday. Image: Itumeleng English / Indepedent Newspapers Despite a stern warning from the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Operation Dudula has vowed to continue with its anti-illegal immigrants campaign, which has been preventing alleged undocumented foreigners from accessing healthcare assistance at public healthcare facilities across the country. The movement's hardline stance comes a day after the members of the organisation met with Motsoaledi on Monday. On Tuesday, Motsoaledi, while speaking to SABC News, expressed deep concern over Operation Dudula's campaign, which has received criticism from the government and civil society organisations. He stated that his gripe arises because the campaign might lead to eligible South Africans being turned away. "I responded to them (Operation Dudula) in two ways. Firstly, I want the country to know that the issue of civil registration is a problem in the whole continent. Many African countries have not been able to register all their people. In fact, according to the statistics, the only country that is far ahead of it is Egypt, as it has achieved the registration of 98%. This means that 2% of Egyptians do not have any documentation. In South Africa, we are at 89% documentation. This means 11% of South Africans are undocumented. If you look at our population, this is about 6 million people," he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ According to the minister, as a result, those who are not registered are not illegal but are rather undocumented due to various reasons, which is why assuming that people are illegal is dangerous. "This does not mean they are illegal because they are South Africans who do not have documents as their details do not appear on our database. A prime example of this is Thabo Bester. We found out that most of his relatives were not registered. That is why, if they do it the way they are doing it, you are going to turn away many South Africans. Having worked in Home Affairs, I met such people who are South African but without documents. So, I said to them, they must be very careful and know exactly what they are doing," he added. When asked by the movement if nothing should be done to remedy the situation, he explained that during his tenure as Home Affairs minister, he introduced the Border Management Authority and other legislative reforms, which are meant to address their concerns. "They then asked: Do we just fold our arms? I said no, as a country, we are not saying we must do nothing. When I was at Home Affairs, we launched the BMA to try and make borders safer. Secondly, I reviewed all the immigration laws and drew a new White Paper on Immigration to repeal the Citizenship Act, the Identification Act, the Refugee Act, and the Immigration Act, and start them from the beginning because of the number of mistakes," he said. Responding to the minister's concerns, Operation Dudula National Executive Committee member Thami Madondo accused politicians of failing South African citizens by not enforcing the country's laws, adding that the Constitution has also failed South Africans on issues of immigration. "Politicians are politicising the matter, and no one wants to uphold the laws of this country. The minister told us about the white paper, which is currently sitting idly after we made our contributions as civil society on the issues it seeks to resolve," he said. Furthermore, the movement has indicated that it was aware that there are many South Africans without the right documents, which is why it also helps those acquire the necessary documents. "We are aware that government inefficiencies have left many South Africans without proper documentation. Our approach is to identify and support these individuals, working with local structures and community leaders to help them secure their papers. The distinction between undocumented citizens and undocumented foreign nationals is critical, and our members are expected to make it. "Lastly, the white paper proposed in 2024 seeks to bridge the gap in national security matters but has yet to be gazetted. It is still outstanding in the Home Affairs minister's office."
