Chasing away illegal immigrants from hospitals, clinics, and other government institutions will not help resolve the illegal immigration crisis South Africa is facing.

This is according to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who called on Operation Dudula Movement and other groups manning hospital and clinic entrances in a bid to stop alleged undocumented immigrants from accessing healthcare, to refrain from this approach.

On Thursday, scores of Operation Dudula Movement members in Durban and Johannesburg marched to the respective head offices of the South African Human Rights Commission against NGOs, such as Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), the Helen Suzman Foundation, and other organisations, who are being accused of protecting undocumented foreign nationals at the expense of poor South Africans.

Over the past few months, March in March and Operation Dudula members have embarked on a nationwide campaign to stop immigrants from accessing healthcare services in clinics and hospitals across the country, sparking outrage and widespread condemnation from the National Department of Health and other sectors of society.

Reacting to the widespread campaign, SERI and Abahlali Basemjondolo called out the actions of Operation Dudula, saying the movement’s anger is misdirected.

The comments come after Operation Dudula staged a protest outside SERI offices in Braamfontein on Thursday, accusing the institute of protecting undocumented immigrants.

While speaking to SABC News on Thursday, Lesufi acknowledged that the issue of immigration in the country, especially in Gauteng, had reached crisis level.

He, however, cautioned against South Africans taking the law into their hands, saying this approach is not helping with the current crisis.

“I am of the strong view that we have either mismanaged or delayed dealing with the issue of undocumented immigrants. However, I do not believe we can resolve this by closing clinics or chasing people away. We need to dive deep into the problems. We, as a country, need to respond to this problem,” he stated.

In a statement, the SAHRC said it was “deeply concerned by reports of healthcare facilities that deny treatment to individuals based on nationality or documentation status. Such practices are not only unethical and unlawful but also inconsistent with South Africa’s obligations under both domestic and international human rights law”.

Lesufi indicated that the government has failed to address the challenges that have led South Africans and civil society to chase away those deemed illegal immigrants.

“I do not think we have had the necessary energy on this particular matter. This is a serious problem. Gauteng, we are the bearers of the huge numbers, because of our economic position.  But to think that we can resolve this by chasing people away from clinics and hospitals, I do not think that is the correct approach. This is merely a symptom, and we need to dig deeper into the problem and attend to it. As a province, we have identified this as a key problem because it affects our infrastructure. Unfortunately, it also affects, in some instances, some elements of crime as well,” he said.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za

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