The EFF has filed a murder case against Operation Dudula, and the SAPS is investigating the matter

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng has taken significant legal steps against the controversial Operation Dudula movement. The party has formally opened a criminal case, alleging that the militant group has been inciting violence and unlawfully targeting foreign nationals living in the country.

The move comes after increasing unrest and instances of violence linked to Operation Dudula, which has gained notoriety for its aggressive stance on immigration control and its vocal opposition to foreign nationals. The EFF accuses the group of fostering an environment of fear, creating divisions within communities, and undermining the nation's democratic fabric.

On Sunday, Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed the initiative, stating that investigations into the allegations are now underway. 

“Police have opened an inquiry docket for investigation. Once the investigation is complete, the docket will be taken to the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) for a decision,” said Masondo.

On Saturday, EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga led supporters to the Alexandra Police Station, where the case was opened against Operation Dudula. According to the Julius Malema-led party, the case relates to the death of a one-year-old baby who was allegedly denied access to healthcare at a public health facility.

Reports indicate that the child’s mother, Malawian national Grace Banda, said she and her baby were turned away from the Alexandra Community Health Centre in July. She alleged that members of Operation Dudula blocked her from entering, insisting she could only access the premises after producing a South African identity document. The sick child later died.

Earlier this month, IOL reported that Operation Dudula and Zimbabwe’s ruling party Zanu PF clashed in a war of words after the latter condemned Dudula’s stance on foreign nationals accessing healthcare in South Africa.

Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula told IOL that South Africa would not be dictated to by outsiders and dismissed Zanu PF’s criticism.

Her comments were in response to Zanu PF’s director of information, Farai Marapira, who told IOL that Operation Dudula’s campaign against undocumented migrants was “a betrayal of Ubuntu” and a continuation of colonial-era tactics of dividing Africans.

But Dabula fired back, calling his remarks baseless. “For Farai (Marapira) to talk about these unfounded allegations, that we are funded by former colonisers, that is definitely not true. How are we going to be funded by the very same people who we are working against?” she said.

“They should focus on fixing their country, Zimbabwe. It is the very same former colonisers they chased away in their country, hence they are in problems. They are sitting with land, and they are doing nothing about it. That is why the very same Zimbabweans are fleeing to South Africa, to take up our spaces, not just in South Africa but they are all over the world seeking better life.”

Dabula further insisted that Zimbabweans were in South Africa in far greater numbers than official estimates suggested, accusing them of placing pressure on jobs, schools, and public services. “He also spoke about us having one million Zimbabweans in this country. That’s a lie. There is way more than that. There are millions of Zimbabweans in this country. We are on the ground. We see them, we know where they work, their own businesses, they are in our schools,” she said.

Operation Dudula, Dabula stressed, is committed to prioritising South Africans, ensuring that foreigners comply with immigration laws and contribute to the services they use.

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