Nigerians living in South Africa are raising alarm over a surge in xenophobic attacks spearheaded by the controversial anti-immigrant group, Operation Dudula, which is reportedly barring foreigners from accessing public hospitals.
Community leaders say the situation has become dire, with some Nigerian women reportedly giving birth on bare floors outside medical facilities after being denied care. Patients have also allegedly been discharged without proper treatment.
Frank Onyekwelu, President of the Nigerian Citizens Association in South Africa, condemned the attacks, calling them “another wave of targeted xenophobic aggression.”
“Imagine a woman giving birth on a bare floor in front of a hospital without medical attention or a midwife. Some patients are being forced out without treatment, even in life-and-death situations. People could die like chickens,” Onyekwelu lamented.
He revealed that while those who can afford private healthcare are being encouraged to seek treatment there, Nigerian doctors have stepped in to provide urgent care to stranded victims.
The Nigerian Union in South Africa (NUSA) also expressed outrage, citing a fresh case in which a new mother was prevented from taking her baby for immunisation.
Smart Nwobi, NUSA President, urged both the South African and Nigerian governments to act immediately:
“Operation Dudula is not a government agency. It is a coalition of locals taking the law into their own hands. We are calling for security forces to be deployed to protect public hospitals so that this lawlessness stops.”
Operation Dudula has been accused of blocking foreigners’ access to public services, claiming immigrants are depriving South Africans of jobs and opportunities. Viral videos have shown its members stationed at hospital gates demanding identity documents before allowing patients in — a move critics say fuels division and violates basic human rights.
Observers warn that the renewed hostility could trigger another wave of violent xenophobic attacks like those seen in previous years, which left several people dead. Nigerian leaders are now calling on the federal government and international bodies to intervene diplomatically before the crisis escalates.
