Fresh concerns about another round of xenophobic attacks are brewing in South Africa as some Nigerians have raised an alarm about the activities of an anti-migrant group, Operation Dudula.
Several Nigerians have lamented that the activities of the Operation Dudula, with many narrating their experiences at the hands of the members of the anti-migrants group.
This situation has sparked urgent calls for diplomatic intervention from Nigerians.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that the renewed wave of xenophobia came after tensions escalated over immigration and economic inequality, with Operation Dudula members reportedly patrolling public health facilities, demanding identification and barring non-South Africans from receiving care.
In a viral video clip, one of the group’s leaders was captured ordering foreigners out of a public hospital.
“If you know yourself that you are not a South African, please stand up. Stand up right now. Don’t try us because we are going to check everybody,” he declared while marching them out of the facility.
Founded as a grassroots campaign, Operation Dudula claims to be fighting illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and what it calls the unlawful takeover of jobs and services by undocumented foreigners.
Speaking on the development, the President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, Frank Onyekwelu, described the attacks as another wave of xenophobia targeted at foreign nationals.
He said: “We have cried out at this ill-treatment, which we see as another form of xenophobic attack, as they are expressing hate and injustice against foreign nationals. We are not happy with it.”
Onyekwelu also confirmed that the Nigerian community had already reached out to political groups and immigration bodies to express concerns.
“Imagine a woman giving birth on a bare floor in an open space in front of a hospital without getting any antenatal care and the assistance of a midwife.
“Some patients are being forcefully discharged from hospitals without proper treatment and care. What if it is a life-and-death situation? Some of them would just die like chickens,” he lamented.
Similarly, the President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Smart Nwobi, while speaking on the activities of the members of Operation Dudula, condemned the continuous harassment of Nigerians and other foreign nationals by members of Operation Dudula.
Nwobi explained that the situation has escalated to an alarming level, as he cited a recent case involving a nursing mother who was barred from taking her baby for immunisation at a public hospital.
“I got a disturbing call this morning from another lady. She just gave birth to a baby, so she went to the hospital to get immunised. She had an appointment with the doctor at the clinic. But members of Operation Dudula barred her from entering the hospital.
“It is really alarming. We are appealing to the government to deploy security agents to protect public facilities so that criminals will not continue taking the law into their hands,” he said.
According to him, the group is not an official arm of government but a coalition of natives who accuse foreigners of depriving South Africans of opportunities.
He noted, however, that some of those spearheading the campaign were not even South Africans by birth.
“For instance, the young man you saw in the viral video chasing foreigners out of the hospital is a South African by descent and Nigerian by birth. He has dual citizenship.
“According to these people, if you can’t speak the South African language, you are not a citizen of the country. But they have forgotten that you can be a citizen by naturalisation.
“Some of the foreigners being denied access to public hospitals do not have the funds to go to private hospitals. The operation is purely illegal as it violates Section 27 of the South African Constitution,” he stated.
Reacting to the matter as well, a former Nigerian Consul to Cameroon and ex-Director of Trade and Investment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rasheed Akinkuolie, described the treatment of foreigners in South Africa as illegal and criminal.
He questioned why the attacks seemed to target Black individuals while leaving whites untouched.
He asserted: “The harassment of Africans and Nigerians by gangs in South Africa is illegal, unauthorised, and acts of thuggery to tarnish the image of the South African government. These acts are vestiges of the apartheid mindset.
“Why are the criminals not doing the same to the white population—their real oppressors?”
Akinkuolie urged Nigerians living in South Africa to ensure their residence documents are valid to avoid complications but insisted that South African authorities must take responsibility.
He suggested that the Nigerian government summon the South African Ambassador in Nigeria to demand urgent intervention before the situation spiralled out of control.
