A dark-skinned Venda speaking woman was left hurt and distraught after a confrontation with Operation Dudula members who were barring foreign nationals from entering the Kalafong Hospital in Atteridgeville on Monday.
“Is it because of the darkness of my skin?” asked the 28-year-old woman who was stopped, questioned and accused of being a foreigner by members of the movement.
The group of demonstrators stood outside the hospital entrance, one with a loudspeaker, as they informed those approaching that illegal foreigners would not be allowed in.
“If you know you are not a South African and you do not have a valid permit, please do not enter,” said one Operation Dudula member.
While some were lucky to get a free pass without being asked where they were from, some were unfortunate as they were asked about their nationality and accused of being foreigners.
The woman who was accused of being a foreigner said she felt victimised as she was singled out due to her dark skin. The already humiliated woman did not want to share her name.
“It offends me. Because of my skin colour I should walk around with my ID? It broke me, it broke my confidence,” she said.
The woman, who emphasised that she is South African, lives in Hercules, in Pretoria west. She said she was insulted and called a “kwerekwere” when she tried to speak up for herself.
[Operation Dudula] cannot just do that to people - going around calling them foreigners. It’s not fair, you cannot judge people by their skin colour. I don’t think South Africans are only light-skinned.
— Operation Dudula victim
“They said ‘do you think you are special’ and ‘we know how you foreigners behave’. She (the Operation Dudula member) said, ‘I know you outsiders, this is how you behave. You are disrespectful’. She cannot just do that to people — going around calling them foreigners. It’s not fair, you cannot judge people by their skin colour. I don’t think South Africans are only light-skinned,” she said.
Though still shaken by the incident, she said she had to stand up for her rights.
“I have my ID but I chose not to show it to them. That’s not how it’s supposed to be. Because who are they? We are at the same level. They must show me theirs so that I can show them mine. Next time, [you will get discriminated because of] how you are dressed, your attire, it’s not good,” she said.
She said the operation was a failure and very selective.
“If they are operating this way, then everyone must come with ID, not just looking at the skin colour,” she said.
Another patient, who only wanted to be identified as Mariette, said she was happy with the movement.
The 75-year-old said she has seen a difference since the Operation Dudula members descended upon the hospital.
“We now get assistance quickly and go home early. I support them. They are telling the truth. I used to come here at 5am and leave late. Now it's different, I am surprised. I am shocked. I am not used to going home at this time,” she said.
“It’s not that we hate foreigners, they are human beings. We only hate their behaviour. It’s not nice,” she added.
A member of Operation Dudula said they had turned back more that 100 illegal foreigners in the three weeks they have been outside the hospital.
The member said though they don’t have the capacity, they are thinking of moving their operation to nearby clinics too.
Sa Ndiaye, a Senegalese national who said he was there to visit a friend, said the operation was not xenophobic, though he too had been confronted.
It’s not that we hate foreigners, they are human beings, We only hate their behaviour. It’s not nice
— South African patient at Kalafong Hospital
“It’s not a problem because the hospital also has a notice on what they need here. I am not taking it bad. My first time here last Monday, I was so angry because the person that I met here didn’t ask me if I have the relevant papers. They just followed me in the queue and told me to move out as I was not a South African and said here they are only helping South Africans. When I arrived at the door, they asked for my papers and I showed them my papers,” he said.
He said he also advises some of his friends to bring their documents when they come to the hospital.
When asked about their vetting criteria, Operation Dudula member Reabetswe Thulare said they speak to everyone.
“We have a conversation with the people and the response is what matters to us. If it’s an emergency we do not turn them back. Language also counts. We listen if the language is an official language,” he said on their selection criteria.
Thulare denied that they were only targeting dark-skinned people.
Language also counts. We listen if the language is an official language.
— Reabetswe Thulare, Operation Dudula
“When we turn you back, it’s up to you if you [decide to] use force,” he said.
The operation was halted when the police, armed with a court interdict, ordered them to stop barring people from entering the hospital.
“For now, we are just going to pause and sit down and wait for a way forward from our legal representatives,” Thulare said.
The Gauteng department of health said it obtained a court interdict on Friday, August 26, from the high court in Pretoria. It instructed the group to stop threatening, preventing and denying patients (deemed to be non-South African) and employees at Kalafong Hospital from accessing the facility to receive medical attention and to administer care respectively.
The department has cautioned the public against obstructing access to healthcare services which is a fundamental human right.
The department’s spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said they will not hesitate to call on law enforcement to act against those who put the lives of patients and staff at risk.
Police spokesperson, Col Dimakatso Sello said the station has been aware of the request to picket at Kalafong from August 8 to 12 August.
“The picketing went well without any incidents. From the August 15 the group started denying the patients access wherein the police were notified. The local police, together with the public order policing unit, attended and the group was dispersed,” she said.
Sello said the police were called on several occasions to disperse the crowd, which was not violent.
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