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The South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly condemns the recent actions of anti-immigrant vigilante groups, such as Operation Dudula. These groups have targeted migrants and undocumented South Africans mainly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, denying them access to essential public services and turning them away from government clinics and hospitals. This has often been done by using abusive and violent tactics. These actions, conducted with impunity, are not only inhumane but also unlawful, violating the constitutional and legal rights of all people in South Africa and undermine the principles of justice and equality enshrined in our Constitution.

Section 27(1)(a) of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996, guarantees everyone the right to access healthcare services, including reproductive healthcare. The National Health Act 61 of 2003 further reinforces that no one may be refused emergency medical treatment, regardless of nationality or documentation status. Vigilante groups claiming to distinguish between emergency and non-emergency cases lack the qualifications or authority to make such determinations or to instruct healthcare workers on patient care. Such actions undermine the rule of law and endanger public health by fostering fear, preventing people from seeking treatment, and increasing the risk of untreated communicable diseases in working-class communities.

This campaign of division has now extended beyond healthcare facilities to public schools, where children are being harassed and intimidated, and workplaces, where workers face demands to leave their jobs. These actions deepen the challenges faced by the working class, exacerbating unemployment and restricting access to education and healthcare. They sow division among workers at a time when unity is critical to address systemic inequalities.

The SACP acknowledges the widespread frustration among the working class and poor, who rely on under-resourced and understaffed public health and education systems that fail to meet their needs. This frustration is compounded by rising insecurity, inadequate policing, and poor border management practices, which have led to an increase in undocumented individuals. The failure of the Department of Home Affairs to efficiently process documentation and capture biometrics has fueled insecurity and provided fertile ground for vigilante groups like Operation Dudula and March & March to gain support among communities desperate for solutions.

The SACP 5th Special National Congress adopted a resolution on immigration, recognising the rise of xenophobia and its corrosive impact on working-class solidarity. The resolution commits the SACP to combat xenophobia, challenge misconceptions propagated by reactionary forces, and advocate for policies that address the root causes of migration. As communists, we remain unwavering in our commitment to international worker solidarity and the protection of the human and labour rights of all workers, their families, and communities, irrespective of citizenship or migration status.

We call on the Department of Home Affairs to urgently implement a comprehensive programme to document and capture the biometrics of all undocumented South Africans and non-South Africans, including those whose documentation has expired due to systemic inefficiencies. Populist vigilantism, reminiscent of apartheid-era practices such as public harassment and demands for identity documents, is not a solution. It only deepens division and distracts from the real issues of systemic inequality and poor governance.

The SACP supports the Minister of Health’s clear stance that preventing access to healthcare is unlawful and inhumane. We also stand in solidarity with the positions of progressive organisations like COSAS and education authorities that have condemned disruptions to teaching and learning caused by vigilante actions. The SACP remains committed to upholding the human rights of all, particularly the most vulnerable, in a society where the rule of law prevails for the benefit of everyone.

The justifiable frustrations of the working class must not be manipulated to target vulnerable workers but should instead be directed at policymakers who prioritise the interests of the private sector and the capitalist class. The SACP will mobilise alongside allied working-class organisations of the left and other progressive forces for national mass action, including marches to the Department of Home Affairs, to demand urgent and effective action on documentation and broader systemic failures.

The SACP calls for unity among the working class to confront these challenges collectively, reject vigilantism and xenophobia, and build a society rooted in justice, equality, and solidarity.

Issued by South African Communist Party