Operation Dudula's impact: KwaZulu-Natal's verification process delayed

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education has announced the postponement of its extensive verification process aimed at accounting for all staff and learners across the province, a move that has coincided with a rising tide of activism from the controversial Operation Dudula Movement.

In a recent circular, the department confirmed that the verification was intended to eradicate ghost employees and inflated learner numbers that compromise the integrity of school funding allocations. This process was set to commence on 30 July 2025 and would have required employees and learners to present crucial documentation such as identity documents and birth certificates. Employees who failed to comply would face salary freezes, while undocumented learners were to be removed from school registers.

"The KwaZulu Natal Department of Education has resolved to postpone the employee and learner verification process, issued under circular No:75 of 2025, until further notice. The said process was scheduled to commence from 30 July 2025 for the head office officials. Management and/or supervisors are advised to bring the said postponement to the attention of all staff as well as the project team members," the department said.

While the postponement notice does not mention undocumented learners, the original circular stated that the verification process would include those deemed to be undocumented learners.

"Employee and learner verification process including undocumented learners...The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education will be implementing the Employee and Learner Verification project. This project is aimed at physically verifying employees and learners in all the schools, circuits, districts and head office of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education.

"The project will assist the department to deal decisively with the risk of infiltrated learner numbers and the potential for existence of ghost employees, whilst ensuring that the department pays salaries to the correct number of employees as well as allocate Norms and Standards funds to schools for an accurate number of learners," it said.

The department indicated that during this process, employees would be required to produce identity documents, and sign employee declaration forms, while learners would be required to produce their birth certificates or identity documents as well as passports.

Meanwhile, Operation Dudula Movement leader, Zandile Dubula has vowed to take her new campaign to schools across the country in the new year.

"We are going to schools. We are going to launch a campaign at the end of December so that in the first week of January 2026, we are going to be stationed at schools. We are saying no illegal foreign child will be attending public schools. They can rather take them to private schools. We do not mind that, but public schools are going to be reserved for South African children only." 

The upcoming campaign by the movement comes hot on the heels of the Operation Dudula campaign which has been supported by the March on March movement in KZN, where scores of alleged undocumented immigrants have been turned away at local clinics and hospitals in KZN, Gauteng and other parts of the country.

This campaign has received criticism from human rights organisations as well as some government departments, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, who called this campaign xenophobic during his recent address to the delegates of the African National Congress Liberation Movements Summit, last week.

"We must reject xenophobia in all its forms. Migration in itself, must not be seen as a threat. It is a consequence of underdevelopment, war, and global inequality, not a moral failing of those who migrate in search of hope. As liberation movements, we must advocate for people-centered regional migration policies that affirm dignity, rights, and solidarity as well," he said.

Reacting to the call by Operation Dudula, speaking on behalf of Abahlali Basemjondolo, Mqapheli Bonono, slammed the movement's campaigns targeting vulnerable groups saying though Abahlali feel Dudula's frustration, denying immigrants basic rights contradicts the spirit of ubuntu and the country's constitution.

"As Abahlai Basemjondolo, we are opposed to Operation Dudula's recent campaign at healthcare facilities as well as the new campaign they want to start. Their campaigns are against the spirit of ubuntu and the country's democratic ideals, espoused by our constitution. How can you deny a child access to education. Some of the children they plan to prevent have already been studying and to stop them from continuing with their education would be inhumane. Even those who are sick, they are still human beings who must be allowed to access healthcare," he stated.

Attempts to get clarity from the KZN education department on the reasons for their verification process were not successful at the time of going to print.

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