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Pretoria, South Africa (Al Jazeera) — A pregnant foreign national in active labour collapsed on the pavement outside a Pretoria clinic on September 12, 2025, after being barred entry by members of the anti-migrant group Operation Dudula.
Witnesses described her screams for help echoing unanswered as bystanders filmed videos and hurled insults, including the derogatory term “kwerekwere.” The incident, captured in viral social media footage, has ignited outrage and renewed scrutiny of the group’s escalating campaign to restrict healthcare access for non-South Africans.
The woman, whose nationality and identity remain unconfirmed amid privacy concerns, arrived at the facility in severe pain around midday. Operation Dudula members stationed at the gate demanded documentation, declaring she “doesn’t belong here.” Despite her pleas, she was pushed away, collapsing shortly after.
In a harrowing turn, she gave birth alone on the ground, blood staining the tar as her newborn took its first breath amid mockery from onlookers. Paramedics eventually intervened, rushing mother and child to a nearby hospital where both are reported stable, according to Gauteng health officials.
Eyewitness accounts paint a scene of profound cruelty. “She was crying, begging for mercy, but they just laughed and pointed,” one local resident told Al Jazeera, requesting anonymity for safety. Videos circulating on X (formerly Twitter) show the woman writhing in agony, surrounded by a crowd with phones raised—some recording, others jeering.
One clip, viewed over 10,000 times, captures chants of exclusion as she labours. The footage aligns with broader patterns of intimidation at public health facilities, where Dudula members act as self-appointed gatekeepers.
This Pretoria episode is part of a sustained Operation Dudula drive that has targeted over 53 clinics nationwide since June 2025, primarily in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The group, which registered as a political party ahead of the 2026 elections, claims to focus on undocumented migrants, insisting documented foreigners should pay for services.
President Zandile Dabula has repeatedly stated no “critical care” is interrupted, framing the actions as protecting overburdened resources for South Africans. Yet, reports indicate even legal residents and refugees face scrutiny based on accents or appearance, contravening a 2023 Gauteng High Court ruling guaranteeing free healthcare for pregnant women and children under six, regardless of status.
Similar horrors have unfolded elsewhere. In Tembisa last week, a 38-year-old migrant delivered her baby alone at Esangweni Community Healthcare Centre after being chased away during a check-up, with nurses ignoring her during labour.
A Yeoville woman with a high-risk pregnancy was ejected from South Rand Hospital for lacking a South African ID, despite holding a permit. In Booysens, Johannesburg, two Dudula members were arrested on August 11, 2025, for assaulting a queuing patient who couldn’t produce ID on demand. The victim was beaten and forced to leave, later filing charges of common assault and contravening the National Health Act.
Arrests have done little to deter the group. On August 7, 2025, three women aged 49 to 60 stormed Lilian Ngoyi Clinic in Soweto, demanding IDs in the maternity ward and attempting to remove a pregnant patient. Locked in by irate nurses and patients, they were arrested for public violence and released on bail the next day. Dudula supporters protested outside the Orlando Magistrates Court, vowing to continue. In Durban, the rival March on March group mirrors these tactics at facilities like Addington Hospital, turning away migrants even with appointments.
Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo emphasized that interventions occur only upon reports from facilities, stating it’s “the duty of police to maintain public order.” Yet, with at least five arrests since July, the blockades persist, affecting HIV patients missing antiretrovirals, diabetics skipping insulin, and TB cases going untreated—risks that experts warn could spark outbreaks impacting all communities.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has documented hundreds affected, slamming the “distressing and unacceptable” crisis. Spokesperson Jane Rabothata revealed staff collusion in some cases, with nurses welcoming fewer patients to “knock off early.” MSF’s assessment of 15 Johannesburg-area facilities found turnaways at 24 sites across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, handing a list to authorities for investigation—though Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale claimed unawareness.
Parliament’s Select Committee on Education, Sciences & the Creative Industries chairperson Makhi Feni condemned Dudula’s “crusade” on September 10, 2025, calling it an “unnecessary distraction” from immigration reforms. “People come for refuge and from hunger,” he said, noting plans to target schools in 2026. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) echoes this, labeling the actions a violation of Section 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees healthcare for “everyone.”
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, responding to ActionSA MP Kgosi Letlape’s query, admitted no tracking of foreign usage exists, as systems don’t record nationality. “Healthcare is based on clinical need, not status,” he affirmed, noting many undocumented South Africans also seek care without ID. ActionSA pushes constitutional amendments to limit public facilities to citizens and permanent residents, but rights groups warn this endangers refugees under UN conventions.
Operation Dudula plans a meeting with Motsoaledi to demand prioritization for South Africans, insisting their “goal is clear: protect our people’s rights.” Social media reflects division: X posts praise shorter queues—”My grandma waited just two hours!”—while others decry the inhumanity: “Operation Dudula murdered a Black mother and baby by denial.” EFF leader Julius Malema called them “thugs” on September 10, refusing to join “anarchy that prevents pregnant women from accessing health facilities.”
As the Pretoria mother recovers, her story underscores a deepening crisis. In a nation born from unity against apartheid, xenophobia now fractures the vulnerable. With elections looming, will authorities enforce the law, or let blockades birth more tragedy? The cries from that pavement demand an answer.
