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The standoff between Operation Dudula and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has intensified following the death of a one-year-old child who was allegedly denied medical attention at the Alexandra Community Health Centre in Gauteng.
The child’s Malawian mother claims she was turned away by staff after being asked to produce a South African identity document before her baby could be treated. The child reportedly died soon after.
The incident has ignited a political and moral storm, with both the EFF and Operation Dudula accusing each other of spreading misinformation and inciting tensions around immigration and healthcare access.
Last week, the EFF announced it had opened a murder case against Operation Dudula and its national secretary-general, Zandile Dabula, alleging that the group’s anti-immigrant campaigns had created a climate of fear and discrimination that led to the tragedy.
“The child was denied treatment because the mother was foreign,” said EFF Gauteng spokesperson Dumisani Baleni. “This is what happens when people start policing hospitals as if they are immigration checkpoints. We hold Operation Dudula responsible.”
Operation Dudula has denied any involvement in the incident and dismissed the EFF’s claims as political theatre. Dabula insists no murder case exists against her or the organisation, accusing the EFF of defamation and spreading “dangerous lies.”
“Only law enforcement can open a murder case,” Dabula said. “They went around telling the community I was a murderer when there is no docket, no case, no investigation. It’s reckless and malicious.”
Dabula said her organisation has now filed counter-charges of intimidation, assault by threat, and criminal defamation under the Cybercrime Act.
According to her, Operation Dudula verified with the police that no official case had been registered against her. “If there was one, I would have been contacted within 48 hours,” she said. “We checked at Alexandra Police Station — there is definitely no case.”
The EFF maintains that their complaint is legitimate, though the police have yet to issue a formal case number. Baleni said the party had spoken directly with both the police and the child’s mother when the report was made.
“It is untrue that we were turned away,” he said. “The police simply wanted to speak with the victim to get all the facts before proceeding. We’ve been following up, and we are still waiting for the case number.”
He added that the mother, who remains in Alexandra, has received threats and is afraid to speak publicly. “She is traumatised,” Baleni said. “But her story must be heard. We cannot allow foreigners to die because of vigilante movements pretending to protect South Africans.”
Operation Dudula has rejected claims of harassment or intimidation, saying its members do not target individuals seeking healthcare but rather campaign for government accountability in service delivery and border control.
“We have never told anyone to deny treatment to anyone,” Dabula said. “Our issue is with an overwhelmed system that fails both South Africans and foreign nationals. The EFF is using this tragedy to score political points.”
The dispute has deepened existing divisions between the two movements, both known for their strong rhetoric and confrontational activism. The EFF accuses Operation Dudula of promoting xenophobia, while Dudula claims the EFF exploits migrants to gain political relevance.
Community leaders in Alexandra say the ongoing feud has heightened tensions in the township, where immigrants often face hostility and fear reprisal attacks when such allegations surface.
Health officials have yet to issue a detailed statement about the child’s death. The Gauteng Department of Health has confirmed that an internal inquiry is under way but declined to comment on claims that the mother was asked for identification before treatment.
Legal experts say the case could hinge on whether the refusal of treatment can be linked directly to the child’s death — a difficult claim to prove without hospital documentation or witness testimony.
Meanwhile, activists have called for calm and for the focus to remain on accountability rather than political blame. “A child has died — that should be the issue,” said one human rights lawyer in Johannesburg. “The right to healthcare is guaranteed under the Constitution. No one should be turned away from a clinic because of their nationality.”
Despite widespread public outrage, the facts remain contested. Operation Dudula insists its name is being misused to stir unrest, while the EFF says it will not back down until justice is served for the grieving mother.
The police have yet to confirm whether any criminal investigation is under way. For now, both sides continue to trade accusations — one claiming defamation, the other demanding accountability — as South Africans grapple with the deeper question beneath the headlines: who truly gets to claim the right to care?
