Two weeks ago, while working as an in-house analyst for Newzroom Afrika at the first national convention of the national dialogue, I made a statement that some viewed as controversial – that Operation Dudula should not be part of the national dialogue.
The fascist organisation, which emerged from discourse that blamed migrants for the economic hardship that occurred after the Covid-19 pandemic, was invited to form part of the national dialogue. The emergence of Operation Dudula coincided with an economic crisis in SA, with the pandemic having devastated the national economy. But the anti-immigrant sentiment that it champions had long since existed in post-1994 SA.
Established in Soweto, the country’s biggest township, Operation Dudula led its first march on June 16 2021 in Soweto, targeting people it believed were foreign drug traffickers, and businesses it thought employed immigrants. Since then, the organisation has grown its support in many other parts of the country. Some people contend that because it has a constituency, and many who support its politics, the organisation should form part of the national dialogue so it may deposit its views on the immigrant question.
While this is a valid argument, given that the national dialogue seeks to give a voice to all South Africans across the class, race, gender and geographical divide, including the organisation in the dialogue runs the risk of giving it legitimacy. More than this, it communicates the message that all views have equal value – including those of fascists who engage in criminal activities and have no regard for the laws of our country.
Over the past few months, the organisation has been running a criminal operation of preventing foreign nationals from accessing public health-care services. Members have been blocking access to hospitals and clinics, turning away individuals in desperate need of medical treatment. The organisation justifies this by arguing that foreign nationals, many undocumented, are “abusing” resources intended for South Africans. But no matter what Operation Dudula’s opinions may be, they are incongruent with the laws of our country.
The constitution enshrines the right of ALL people in SA – local or foreign, documented or undocumented – to access basic health care. If Operation Dudula wants to change the law, there are processes to do so, that do not necessitate putting innocent people’s lives in danger.
South Africans can change the law by making formal submissions or petitions to parliament during the law-making process, participating in public hearings, engaging in parliamentary lobbying, or through litigation and class action suits to challenge existing laws or promote new ones. Citizens can also influence policy-making within government departments, which often precedes new legislation. We can also connect with non-governmental organisations and lobby groups that work to influence legislation.
Options exist that do not necessitate criminality. But Operation Dudula doesn’t want to engage in these legal processes because it’s much easier to harass and violate poor and extremely vulnerable working-class people. To give Operation Dudula a seat at the national dialogue table is not to be inclusive – its to legitimise the dangerous idea that the lives of immigrants don’t matter enough to warrant protection.
Organisations engaged in acts of criminality were not invited to the dialogue. Gangs wreaking havoc in the Cape Flats, human trafficking rings, drug cartels and all such organisations would never be given airtime because we understand that their criminality poses a great danger to society, even if they may have members and a constituency that supports and participates in their activities.
Why are we comfortable with an organisation engaging in criminality being part of a dialogue?
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