Outrage as vigilante group targets foreigners: Who decides who receives medical attention and who does not?
Image: Screenshot
What was meant to be a routine check-up for his infant babies at Durban's Addington Hospital turned into a scary ordeal for Christian Tchizungu Kwigomba.
The father from the Congo was stopped at the entrance and even shoved while trying to enter the facility.
He was not alone.
All patients arriving for care are being stopped - not by security or hospital staff, but by a group of self-appointed gatekeepers demanding to see identification.
The March and March Movement, a vigilante group with no legal authority, has taken it upon itself to screen anyone approaching the facility's doors, targeting undocumented immigrants and turning away those who can't produce South African IDs.
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.
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.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ad loading
The group's message is blunt: public healthcare is for South Africans who can produce their ID.
'I faced something that no human being should experience,' Kwigomba said. 'Even pregnant women are being turned away. It's a matter of life or death.'
Kwigomba, who is diabetic and relies on medication, says he cannot afford private care.
'We are just waiting to die,' he said. 'They should remember the spirit of Ubuntu and stop kicking people out.'
Teresa Nortje, March on March chairperson, makes no apologies.
'We've had an influx of undocumented immigrants who falsify papers,' she told IOL.
'We're enforcing Section 17 of the Constitution and saying the country's hospitals are for South Africans who pay tax.'
But while she cites constitutional rights to protest, the group's actions fly in the face of another part of the Constitution - Section 27, which guarantees healthcare access to everyone in South Africa, regardless of immigration status.
Last week, the group was caught on camera shoving 77-year-old Crispin Hemson, 77, a former director of the Centre for Non-violence at the Durban University of Technology, after he refused to show them his ID.
Growing condemnation
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane Mngadi and her department denounced the actions as 'unlawful acts of vigilantism' earlier this month, stressing that 'no member of the public or structure has the legal or moral authority to block others from accessing healthcare'.
Nationally, the Department of Health has also condemned the movement's actions.
Spokesperson Foster Mohale called on protesters to raise concerns 'within the confines of the law,' warning that the protests endanger lives and violate the Constitution and National Health Act.
'There's a difference between being concerned and taking the law into your own hands,' Mohale said. 'Everyone has the right to emergency and primary care.'
Security plans are now in place to prevent further intimidation. Police and public order units have been deployed to protect health workers and patients.
The government has emphasised a zero-tolerance policy toward any group or individual attempting to block access to public health facilities.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) further stated that Section 27(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides for healthcare for everyone.
"This constitutional provision means that all people in South Africa regardless of nationality, legal status, race, gender, age, income level, or geographic location are entitled to access basic healthcare services," it said.
This includes: South African citizens
Refugees and asylum seekers
Documented and undocumented migrants\
Stateless persons
Children, including separated, unaccompanied and stateless children.
Persons in detention
Vulnerable populations, such as persons with disabilities, the older persons, and persons living in poverty
"The Constitution does not qualify or limit this right based on immigration status or citizenship. It further states that no one may be refused emergency medical treatment. This provision ensures that emergency healthcare must be provided unconditionally by both public and private health facilities," the commission said.
Government intervention
The South African Police Service in collaboration with the Department of Health is deploying Public Order Police to maintain law and order during the protests at the affected health facilities.
"Law enforcement will continue to apply the zero tolerance approach for lawlessness, with decisive action taken against individuals taking the law into their own hands and intimidating patients at health facilities," said acting government spokesperson, Nomonde Mnukwa.
She added that while the government understands the genuine frustrations of many citizens regarding the pressures on public services, including overburdened clinics and exhausted healthcare workers, members of the public are urged to raise such concerns through lawful and appropriate channels.
"Taking the law into one's own hands is unacceptable and undermines the values enshrined in our democratic Constitution," Mnukwa said.
IOL
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Maverick
3 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Pinpointing Pollution (Part 2): Living and dying in Thubelihle
In part 2 of Daily Maverick's mapping project on air pollution, we see and hear from community members in Thubelihle, Mpumalanga. The air in Thubelihle is tinted with a yellow ochre haze as fine, pale dust from power stations and mines that settles on skin, homes and in lungs alike. And yet still, children play in the street. In the first part of this investigation, Daily Maverick mapped the places where South Africans are most vulnerable to air pollution's deadly effects. Then we went to meet them. This is what they said. Sipho Maseko 'In my tenure, now as a councillor, I had two children die because they were affected by the ash. They were affected by the dust. Children died.' So said Sipho Maseko, the ward councillor in Thubelihle, in conversation with Daily Maverick. 'I had a granny and maybe a person in her early 40s, I think I had four cases that were caused by the dust from the mines.' Maseko has been in his position for only four years. 'Here in Kriel, there are two clinics. There are government clinics – one here in the township and one at town. Honestly, there should be more because there's also an extension of the township that is developing about 7,000 residential stands. So it obviously means that the number [population] is growing.' Asked how many people called Thubelihle home, he said more than 20,000. 'So it's more than 20,000 people that are basically all at one clinic.' He explained how the landscape affected employment and the environment. 'We're surrounded by mines. The longest distance is not more than five kilometres, so obviously there's blasting, mining activities around, air pollution like now recently, I think, if I'm not mistaken, on Friday, there was ash from Eskom, it was whitish, like from the towers. So the whole area, the whole Kriel, was white with the ash. It's not good.' Pollution he attributed to the local mines was an everyday occurrence, but he said the wayward fly ash from Eskom's power station fell on the town in this dramatic fashion less frequently. Asked about some of the main challenges in the community, he immediately identified air pollution. He said he had engaged with the mines surrounding the community, and they would not take accountability. 'And the mines [management] say 'we are surrounded by mines' so no one wants to take accountability and so they say, 'just because we are the closest, but now mos you can see from the north, from the east, from the south there's ash everywhere, so how can you tell it's us that must take accountability?' 'So no one takes accountability … it becomes difficult,' said Maseko, explaining that the community is surrounded by heavy industries as well as the Eskom power stations, making it hard for any one actor to take accountability for emissions and impact on the community. Asked about evidence linking pollution to the deaths he mentioned, Maseko said that he had seen the cause of death reports and death certificates that detailed severe respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. 'Doctor's report, post-mortem, from the hospital and once you go to the family, they tell you the cause of death is air pollution.' Maseko continued , 'The challenge that we are having, it was going to be better to know, yes, this ash is killing us, but [at least] we are benefiting. So that's the number one thing that is very much worrying. You know, you keep on having protests now and then because we are living here, but we are not benefiting, we are dying from this ash.' 'No one is working in the mines, no one is working at Eskom. It's a better cry if you hear from the families saying, 'I'm from the mine, maybe I'm producing that which has killed my child,' but it's none. They don't benefit.' Just a week before Daily Maverick spoke to community members, they were protesting against the levels of pollution and the alleged lack of action to address it. 'Now we hear there is a new mine opening. Fine, we need jobs, so we are happy, but you'll hear 70% [of people hired are] from outside, 30% from local. It doesn't make sense. People who are benefiting don't reside here.' Chief Tony 'Boy' Mahlangu Daily Maverick also spoke to community leader Chief Tony 'Boy' Mahlangu. 'I grew up in this area. Since I was born basically in this area, we've been staying close to these power stations. We grew up with this asthma thing, these things [Matla and Kriel Power Stations] are causing asthma. So if you go around to the doctors and check, most of the kids have got asthma.' 'That's why also us, we've got it [asthma]. The air is not clean. The air is not clean,' said Mahlangu, adding that 'you can even see the small particles. Even on the car there on the window,' he said, pointing to a car parked by the community centre. 'They call it a flying ash, so this thing is very dangerous. There are a lot of deaths around this area regarding this thing. ' 'A lot of people staying around, they're coughing a lot, they have asthma, all those things. And once we had a meeting with Eskom at Megawatt Park… especially Kriel, because they said they are not reaching it, pollution targets, whatever they call it.' 'The saddest part, the really saddest part about this is that you cannot be killed by something in your area and then most of the people are not benefiting from that thing,' said Mahlangu, adding that 'now we are here and I, as a chief, I can't say there's anything that we're benefiting from those two power stations. It's like a middle finger.' Richard Tshabala Richard Tshabalala is a community leader from Ward 25 and a founder of Liberated Community Structures (LCS), based in Thubelihle. He told Daily Maverick that 'the challenge that we are having here is air pollution. We've been complaining about this problem. We even wrote to the Department of Environment about this issue. 'There was a lady I was working with, she was a ward committee [member] and she suffered from asthma, she even passed on from this problem. We've been complaining, complaining [to] management of Eskom. We even escalated the matter to Megawatt [Park], but no one cares. No one cares. 'These days it's worse. If you can come in the morning here, it's worse. It looks like a mist if you don't know it, but if you come closer, it's air pollution. And it's affecting the children, small children, its affecting the whole community. So we are very worried about the health of our community.' Just like others before him, Tshabalala complained that he and other community members suffered from the negative impacts, but derived none of the benefits. This was a consistent theme throughout. 'And the problem is the other problem that we are having, we're not benefiting anything. The job opportunities, business opportunities, even the skill development. We're not benefiting. They don't care. They only employ people from outside. We've been complaining about this several times.' 'So we are worried about the future of our children, because these children are going to suffer from asthma. Even you can check here, we only have the one clinic,' he said, pointing to the sole clinic in the area. He said that it used to operate for only half the day, but because of their efforts, it now operates for 24 hours a day. 'But it's not good enough, because we need a hospital. We need a hospital, and no one cares.' 'Even you can check the development. This place is not developed, but if we can check, we are surrounded by mines, we are surrounded by power stations, but no one is benefiting. That's the situation or the conditions that we are living under,' Tshabalala said. Maggie Mahlangu Former ward councillor and doting grandmother Maggie Mahlangu graciously invited Daily Maverick into her living room. Her 18-month-old granddaughter, Nokubonga Mashele, sat on her lap, constantly coughing during the interview as if to underscore the points being made by her grandmother. 'If you can see, this one [pointing to her granddaughter] is one year six months, and since she was born, always in the hospital, two weeks in the hospital, and she came back after three months in the hospital again, four times in the hospital. Her chest is too tight and she's coughing a lot.' As she speaks, Nokubonga coughs with tragic regularity, her little body shuddering with every cough. 'Most of the children are coughing, and the pollution is not good. If you park a car, in the morning, the ash is on top of the cars: too much,' said Mahlangu. 'Either they have got sinuses or asthma, it's because of pollution,' she said while her granddaughter coughed repeatedly atop her lap. 'No one came here and asked, 'your children is sick or what?' but we face those challenges each and every time.' Mahlangu said that during her time as a councillor, many people would come to her and complain about the air quality. 'We talk a lot about the pollution. Every time we talk about the air pollution, the community is angry. This pollution is destroying everything here and no one is working. It's a problem, it's a big, big problem.' 'The other lady who was in my ward committee died because of asthma in November 2021. That one was bad. Yoh yoh, that one was very bad because she used an oxygen mask. If she walks a short distance, breathing becomes a problem. We have lots of stories like that.' 'Even if you go to the clinic, there's a lot of children there. They're affected badly,' said Mahlangu. Asked what should be done, she said, 'I don't know. Eskom is busy. They must come to the community. The problem is they didn't even come to the community and tell the community what are the causes of the sickness, asthma, sinuses and all those things. They just keep quiet like nothing happened, but if they can come and have a way to control the ash, it will be better. Just to come communicate with the community is better.' Told about Eskom's presentation to Parliament and the cost of meeting minimum emission standards, Mahlangu's demeanour changed. 'If they cost billions, what about us?' she asked angrily. 'It's not going to happen. It's just talk because they see ministers and what what. It's not going to happen.' 'They must control that power station and the affected people, they must come to the affected people so that those people they must know, the communication is better than [if] you just keep quiet. If you come to the people and communicate with them, they will know what they must do, but if you keep quiet, you are saying all the people must die.' 'And it's painful to have a child like this one having a cough like this. This coughing is too bad.' Xolane Mtsweni showed Daily Maverick the nebuliser that six-year-old Mpendulwenhle Mtsweni has to use. He struggles to get the medicine he needs, and if there is an emergency, help is hours away at best. He says that Mpendulwenhle is dependent on the only clinic in the area, and in an emergency, they have to hope the neighbour's car is available because an ambulance can take up to two hours to fetch them. 'Each and every month we are going to hospital and it's all because of breathing and stuff,' said Sister Mtsweni, Mpendulwenhle's mother. He has had to make use of the nebuliser since the age of two. Asked what should be done or how her situation could be improved, she said, 'They must help me with this, especially. There's a medication for this machine to work, and this medication is very expensive; they can buy me that medicine,' said Mtsweni. The Thwalas Outside their home, Patricia and Mduduzi Thwala spoke to Daily Maverick along with their two sons, Nqubeko and Isenathi. 'Isenathi has a problem with short breath and sinus. Nqubeko is coughing day and night. The problem is caused by the dust from the mines and the power stations,' the parents said, finishing each other's sentences. 'People are very sick, so we need help because even Eskom doesn't care about us. They don't even come and check what we are going through in this community. So we need help.' Mduduzi said, 'When you're starting to identify these problems, when a child is starting to cough, you think it's a small thing and then we realised when we started to see, 'no this boy has a short breath'. 'I think if we can get a right platform where these issues can be addressed or reported, I think in that case maybe they can try to minimise or avoid such things; for example, when you look, there's a mine next to the road. I've never even seen one [manager] coming and saying, 'How do you feel about the dust?' We're experiencing dust and even houses are cracking from blasting. 'So there's no one from their management side who addressed people about such things. More especially, this issue of pollution, I think it's an [especially] bad thing in this location, in this community, is very bad.' Patricia said that they might be unwell themselves, but they don't have the money to go to a doctor, so they ignore their symptoms. Simphiwe Maseko Simphiwe Maseko's 14-year-old daughter, Thando Nkosi, is not allowed to take part in sport. 'She doesn't play anything. She doesn't run. Once she starts running, she coughs. She doesn't participate in anything because we are scared; maybe if she can participate in sports, athletics and whatnot, she just comes back sick. So that's why we forbid her to take part.' 'She gets sick all the time. We go to the doctor more than two times a month, and it's difficult to get to the doctor from here. We do have a car, but sometimes my brother is using it, so I have to take the taxi. Sometimes I don't have money to go to town, so it becomes very difficult,' Maseko tells Daily Maverick. 'It's because of the mines, because a lot of people around here, they've either got asthma, they've got sinus problems, eye problems, allergies because of this air, because of these mines, and all the pollution is very bad.' Asked what she would tell government leaders, leaders at Eskom and mine operators, she said simply, 'Can they please make sure that they recognise the people? 'A president is a president because of people, not because he wants to be there. We elected that person to be there. So the president must just take accountability, notice everything that the community or the people or the country are complaining about. We are complaining about the health [problems] that we are facing. We are complaining about a lot of things, especially the mines. Our lives are ruined.' Daily Maverick has previously reported that in October 2024, the national air quality officer at the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Patience Gwaze, said efforts were under way to enhance actions and improve the quality of air in the country through declared priority areas, metropolitan areas and air quality hotspots. However, despite interventions undertaken since 2006, not much improvement has been achieved in the areas of concern. Gwaze said air pollution continued to be a leading national environmental human health risk. Daily Maverick reached out to Gwaze and the department for comment. Our request was acknowledged but a response thereafter was not received. Seriti Resources, one of the owners of a local mine, said in response to questions from Daily Maverick, 'We recognise the potential impacts that our operations can have on surrounding communities, and we are committed to minimising any negative effects while actively contributing towards a positive and sustainable future for all. 'We have invested significantly in a range of environmental management initiatives to reduce our footprint. These include advanced dust suppression technologies to limit airborne pollutants, comprehensive water management systems to ensure efficient and responsible use of water resources and continuous air quality monitoring to comply with strict environmental standards. We also ensure compliance to relevant legislation and environmental regulations.' 'We appreciate the concerns raised and remain open to constructive dialogue that helps us improve and better serve our communities.' The story of Thubelihle is illuminating in that it tells the story of how a confluence of failures, pollution, non-responsiveness by authorities and generalised, ailing service delivery finds confluence in the coughs of a child and the death of a young woman. Though Thubelihle may be one place on a map, there are many such communities across South Africa where the constitutional right to a healthy environment is trampled on and disregarded day in, day out. And while politicians and ministers in Cabinet talk about the injustice of job losses in the coal value chain, they are conveniently deaf to the plight and pleas of the people in these communities who assert – in between harsh coughs and wheezes – that they don't feel that they benefit today and that there is no justice for them. DM
The South African
7 hours ago
- The South African
Jessie J admitted to hospital six weeks after surgery
Jessie J has shared that she was hospitalised, just six weeks after undergoing surgery for breast cancer. The 37-year-old singer revealed her early-stage cancer diagnosis in April this year. She subsequently had a mastectomy followed by breast reconstruction. In an update to her fans on Sunday morning, 3 August 2025, she mentioned she unexpectedly fell ill and found herself back in hospital. Jessie J announced her breast cancer diagnosis early June 2025. While the news was undoubtedly distressing, she found comfort in the fact that the cancer was detected at an early stage. On 23 June 2025, the singer underwent surgery to remove the cancer, followed by breast reconstruction shortly thereafter. By 7 July 2025, Jessie took to Instagram to share news that her surgery was successful. In addition to that, her results showed no signs of cancer. The singer shared news of her hospitalisation early Sunday morning, 3 August 2025, on her Instagram story. 'How I spent the last 24 hours,' she wrote in a caption, alongside a photo of a cannula inserted into her arm. 'Six weeks post surgery and I was back in the same ward I was after my surgery,' she wrote. 'Not expected or planned.' The singer revealed that she had been experiencing symptoms that suggested a blood clot. After undergoing tests, it turned out it wasn't a blood clot but an infection and fluid in her lungs instead. Despite struggling to breathe, she chose to discharge herself on 2 August 2025 and plans to continue treatment as an outpatient. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Daily Maverick
Why are fewer women breastfeeding in SA despite its enormous benefits?
Aggressive marketing campaigns by the formula milk industry, hunger and malnutrition and insecure employment are among the factors causing a decline in breastfeeding in the country. While global exclusive breastfeeding rates have seen a slight increase in recent years, South Africa is still lagging behind with a concerning decline in exclusive breastfeeding rates from 32% in 2016 to 22% in 2024. Civil society and the Department of Health say the current trend means the country is unlikely to achieve the World Health Assembly breastfeeding target of at least 50% by the end of 2025, and 70% in 2030 unless women receive support beyond education campaigns. The Department of Health in collaboration with various stakeholders hosted an event to mark the beginning of World Breastfeeding Week at Loftus Park Shopping centre in Pretoria on 1 August 2025. It aimed to intensify awareness about the long-term health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for both the mother and child, as part of ongoing efforts to increase the rate of breastfeeding in the country. Multiple factors contribute to the decline in breastfeeding. Chantell Witten, the health systems director at iLifa Labantwana with expertise in breastfeeding and nutrition, told Daily Maverick that some of these factors were lack of support, income and formula marketing through health centres and professionals. 'Given the lack of maternity protection and stable employment opportunities, South African mothers are not protected to enjoy a successful breastfeeding journey. Furthermore, the insidious marketing of formula through health professionals undermines government efforts to promote, support and protect breastfeeding,' said Witten. World Breastfeeding Week is a global movement aimed at promoting breastfeeding and creating a conducive environment that supports mothers who breastfeed their babies, ultimately contributing to their wellbeing. Speaking to Daily Maverick, Edzani Mphaphuli, the Executive Director of Grow Great Campaign, said the first 1,000 days, from conception to a child's second birthday, were the most important for shaping lifelong health, learning and wellbeing. 'During this period, the brain develops rapidly, and the foundations for emotional, cognitive and physical growth are laid. If children are undernourished or neglected during this time, they risk becoming stunted. Stunting has irreversible effects on brain function, school performance and future productivity. Breastfeeding plays a central role in preventing stunting. It provides complete nutrition, supports immunity, and fosters emotional bonding. Supporting mothers to breastfeed is not just about nutrition, it is about brain development, emotional security, and human potential. Every child deserves the chance to grow great from the very beginning, and that means ensuring their mothers are nourished, supported and cared for too,' Mphaphuli said. Shared responsibility So this makes the decline concerning for the department, health and nutrition practitioners and civil society organisations in the space. The department says exclusive breastfeeding is a shared responsibility, 'extending beyond just the role of mothers, with families, communities, healthcare systems and employers having important roles to play. Breastfeeding is not just about reaching country and global targets, but also about supporting infant health and development, as well as maternal wellbeing.' Witten echoed this point, saying breastfeeding promotion and support programmes had multiple benefits, such as 'saving children's lives, better health outcomes, lower economic and environmental impact. It's good for mothers, children and the economic development of the country… Programmes to support mothers and their children are not prioritised, and (mothers should be) protected from profit-driven industries like the formula industry,' said Witten. Significant impact A mother's nutrition does not drastically affect the quality of breast milk, but it has a significant impact on her ability to continue breastfeeding. Mphaphuli said the campaign aimed to reduce child stunting and malnutrition through multiple programmes and interventions. She added that mothers' bodies prioritised the baby 'drawing nutrients from the mother's own reserves, often depleting her energy, muscle, and bone mass. Without proper food, mothers feel exhausted, anxious, and overwhelmed. Breastfeeding is physically demanding, and doing it while hungry can be debilitating,' says Mphaphuli. In a written response to Daily Maverick, Mphaphuli said that many mothers supported by Grow Great's Flourish programme and community health workers reported stopping breastfeeding due to hunger and stress. 'Hunger increases cortisol in the mother's body — this stress hormone transfers into breast milk, leaving babies fussy and colicky, which creates a cycle of emotional strain. This cycle makes breastfeeding even harder. What a mother eats while breastfeeding is determined not just by knowledge, but by what she can afford. Finances drive dietary choices. When money is tight, nutritious foods like fruit, vegetables, protein and dairy are often replaced with cheaper, calorie-dense but nutrient-poor alternatives. Financial support is therefore essential to help mothers eat well and breastfeed with confidence. Without it, the risk of burnout, poor mental health, and early breastfeeding cessation increases, contributing to poor growth and stunting in infants, especially in vulnerable households,' Mphaphuli said. The Grow Great Flourish programme is an intervention supporting breastfeeding and early child development in South Africa. It provides antenatal and postnatal support groups, led by trained local women who are mothers themselves. Mphaphuli said the programme demystified breastfeeding, covering topics like how milk was produced, how to latch, and how to manage common challenges. 'The safe, non-judgmental environment encourages mothers to ask questions and support each other. Beyond the sessions, WhatsApp groups keep the community connected, allowing mothers to share concerns and receive encouragement around the clock. Nearly all Flourish moms breastfeed, and 62% do so exclusively. This stands in stark contrast to the national average. Grow Great also trains community health workers to deliver in-home breastfeeding support. These workers reinforce critical messages and help mothers persevere. Together, these programmes are preventing stunting by ensuring that babies receive the best start in life, beginning with breast milk.' DM
