EFF takes Operation Dudula to court after ‘sick toddler denied care’

Nkululeko Dunga

Johannesburg – The EFF has filed criminal charges against Operation Dudula after the group allegedly prevented Malawian mother Grace Banda from accessing medical care for her one-year-old son at Alexandra clinic, leading to the child’s death.

Earlier this week, Newzroom Afrika covered the story of Malawian national Grace Banda, who claimed that Operation Dudula members stopped her from obtaining medical care for her one-year-old child at the Alexandra clinic.

The child subsequently passed away, though the organisation has denied ever directing its members to restrict access to the clinic.

Operation Dudula denies instructing members to block access, but the group has recently been barring “undocumented foreigners” from public healthcare facilities.

EFF Gauteng leader Nkululeko Dunga condemned Dudula as acting like a vigilante group, comparing their actions to apartheid-era identification restrictions.

He condemned ID checks at clinics as unconstitutional and dangerous to public health, criticising both the police and hospital management for allowing harassment of patients.

The party also blamed the government’s poor service delivery and immigration system for creating conditions that allow vigilante groups like Operation Dudula to operate.

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