Parliament’s social services cluster has criticised Operation Dudula’s stated intention to block foreign pupils from state schools in 2026, warning such actions are unlawful, socially corrosive and incompatible with the constitutional and legislative framework.
The condemnation was delivered during Thursday’s media briefing by the chairs of the select committee on education and the portfolio committee on basic education after remarks by Dudula leader Zandile Dabula confirming the movement’s plans to target school admissions.
MP Makhi Feni, chair of the select committee on education, described the campaign as “objectionable and unnecessary”, stating the committee “condemns with the utmost contempt the actions of Operation Dudula”.
Schools must not become sites of political confrontation and “apart from issues of legality, such action will make schools the opposite of what schools should be” — they will “instantly become unconducive spaces for learning”.
Feni acknowledged the broader socioeconomic pressures linked to migration but insisted these must be dealt with through lawful and democratic means. “South Africa is a country of laws. Enrolment of foreign children in schools is legislatively required and the department of basic education can only comply.”
He cited the South African Schools Act and constitutional provisions guaranteeing access to basic education for all children, including undocumented foreigners. “Operation Dudula must take full responsibility for its actions. There are legal platforms to engage — vigilante tactics are not one of them.”
His position was echoed by MP Joy Maimela, chair of the portfolio committee on basic education, who warned Dudula’s campaign risks worsening tensions in school communities grappling with infrastructure deficits and safety concerns.
“Schools must be centres of learning, not environments of fear,” she said, referencing recent incidents of violence and the June signing of the safe schools protocol between the ministers of basic education and police.
Schools must be centres of learning, not environments of fear
— Joy Maimela, portfolio committee on basic education chair
Maimela called for strengthened collaboration between provincial education departments, law enforcement agencies and community policing forums to safeguard pupils and teachers. She also urged civil society to reject any form of intimidation or exclusion in the education sector. “We are not going to allow anarchy to coexist with governance,” she said.
The committee chairs noted the government is addressing migration-related challenges through structured legislative interventions, including the labour migration policy and the establishment of the Border Management Authority. However, these initiatives do not alter the constitutional obligation to provide education to all children living in South Africa.
Operation Dudula has previously disrupted healthcare services by preventing foreigners from accessing clinics, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. Its expansion into the education sector has raised alarm among oversight bodies, which view the campaign as a threat to institutional integrity and social cohesion. “South Africa's image is important,” Feni said. “How we relate to our neighbours, within the prescript of ubuntu, remains important too.”
The parliamentary response signals a clear institutional stance: schools are not battlegrounds for political grievance.
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