Cape Town – EFF leader Julius Malema has demanded an investigation into the anti-immigrant movement Operation Dudula, calling for the Political Killings Task Team to be deployed against it.
On Wednesday, Malema took it on X and wrote: “Operation Dudula is a group of thugs and must be subjected to the Political Killings Task Team. Period!”
Operation Dudula is a group of thugs and must be subjected to the Political killing Task Team. Period!
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) September 10, 2025
Malema’s comments immediately drew sharp responses.
Operation Dudula rejected his characterisation as dangerous and inciting hatred, and demanded that he retract the statement. The group said it was “committed to protecting our communities and upholding the rule of law.”
According to TimesLIVE, Malema’s remarks have sparked concern among some of his own supporters, with accusations that he is siding too heavily with foreign nationals over South Africans, a stance that could carry political consequences.
As stated by IOL, Operation Dudula claims it was founded as a grassroots movement aimed at fighting illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and what it describes as the misuse of jobs and services by undocumented foreign nationals.
National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola has admitted that the South African Police Service (SAPS) does not have a dedicated unit to deal with Operation Dudula. Instead, he said, the Public Order Policing (POP) division responds when there is sign of public disorder.
A Leaked video reveals Operation Dudula’s new strategy to execute operations without police interference because they always protect foreign nationals.✊🏾✊🏾🤝🏾🇿🇦
Vusi khoza cat matlala shem mandrake anele pic.twitter.com/uYoqWh5YsY
— 🇿🇦Make Azania Great Again 🇿🇦 (@my_azania) July 31, 2025
“On Operation Dudula, we don’t have a unit specifically to deal with them. We have Public Order Policing (POP) countrywide, and their job is to deal with crowd management.”
“They cannot wait at a clinic just in case something happens … But as and when we have an indication that there may be a problem, we will respond to those health institutions accordingly”,” the report quoted Masemola as saying.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has condemned Dudula’s presence at clinics, arguing that foreign nationals must not be prevented from accessing healthcare.
The DA has called for urgent deployment of Public Order Policing to protect constitutional rights.
Parliamentary voices have also been critical. Makhi Feni, Chair of the Select Committee on Education, Sciences and the Creative Industries, has called Operation Dudula’s clinic disruptions “a distraction” from government efforts around immigration, saying their actions “have a potential to misrepresent the country and our democracy”, reported EWN.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
