The South African Parliament’s health and education chairpersons have vowed that undocumented foreign nationals will not be barred from entering hospitals, clinics, or schools.
They condemned Operation Dudula activists, who have been blocking suspected foreign nationals from accessing healthcare and threatening to stop children from enrolling in the new school year.
Health committee chairperson Sibongiseni Dhlomo said that while concerns about limited resources cannot be ignored, the National Health Insurance guarantees free access to care.
Parliament warned it will not tolerate lawlessness at public institutions, stressing that hospitals and schools must remain open to all.
Dhlomo added that he has been engaging with the health minister on laws concerning citizens, refugees, and immigration in a bid to address concerns raised over foreign nationals accessing government services.
Said Dhlomo:
Some of these acts are very wide and encompassing – what some people in their views are saying, they should actually have a bit of limitation.
Makhi Feni, chairperson of the select committee on education, said he disagreed with any attempt to prevent children of suspected foreign parents from attending school.
He said:
“We are not going to allow anarchy to co-exist with governance.”
Feni called on Operation Dudula activists to engage with the government instead of threatening drastic action, since it isn’t always clear whether children have legal documents.
