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Lobby group accuse Operation Dudula of xenophobic and racist activities.
The High Court in Johannesburg will hear arguments on Tuesday against Operation Dudula, an organisation accused of xenophobic and racist activities.
The case, filed by Kopanang Africa against Xenophobia, the South African Informal Traders Forum, the Inner-City Federation and Abahlali Base Mjondolo, argues that Operation Dudula participated in illegal conduct against foreign nationals.
Livestream:
🚨 TOMORROW: @KopanangAfrica (KAAX), represented by @SERI_Rights, takes Operation Dudula & the SA government to court over xenophobic violence & state inaction. #StopXenophobia #KAAX pic.twitter.com/B3ZjHhCO4O
— Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia KAAX (@KopanangAfrica) June 9, 2025
Operation Dudula, a campaign launched in 2021, intends to combat crime and the influx of illegal immigrants into the country, among other things.
The applicants, represented by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), are seeking an order prohibiting Operation Dudula’s conduct.
Attorney at SERI Asenati Tukela says, “It is to enforce the powers under Section 41 of Immigration Act, which simply states that only an immigration officer can go around demanding that people produce their documents to prove their legality in the country. The second, and most important, is to interdict and restrain Operation Dudula from the harassment and the xenophobic attacks that they have instituted against foreign nationals, which are denying people from education, access to health, and denying people basically from enjoying the human rights that are guaranteed by the constitution.”
Operation Dudula to address media on various issues
