THE President of the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA), Smart Nwobi, has raised an alarm that Nigerians are dying daily in the country following a ban by an anti-migrant group preventing foreigners from accessing government-owned hospitals.
Nwobi, who spoke in an interview with Punch Newspaper, described the development as unlawful and xenophobic, stressing that the action contravene Section 27 of the South African Constitution, which guarantees healthcare access to everyone without discrimination.
According to him, members of a group known as Operation Dudula have stationed themselves at hospital entrances where they demand identity cards and chase away those unable to present South African citizenship documents.
He noted that even naturalised citizens who could not speak the local language had been ordered out of health facilities.
“Nigerians have resorted to self-medication, which is detrimental to their health. Some of them are losing their lives every day. The statistics are there. Nigerians are now afraid of going to public hospitals in South Africa to avoid being beaten to death or assaulted. That is the unfortunate part of it. So, this requires urgent intervention.
“Now, as it is getting close to election time, foreigners, especially those doing business, are always the target. That anger against the ruling party, the government, is transferred to foreigners. Nigerians are always among the victims when this happens,” Nwobi said.
Backstory
The ICIR reports that the anti-migrant group, Operation Dudula, has been preventing ‘undocumented foreigners’ from accessing treatment at public clinics and hospitals, insisting that their presence places an additional burden on South Africa’s already strained healthcare system.
In early August 2025, members of the group reportedly stormed the Lilian Ngoyi Community Health Centre in Diepkloof, attempting to force a shutdown of operations. “Our action was to highlight the growing concern around healthcare access for foreign nationals that is impacting our local communities.”
Their campaign, however, has drawn sharp criticism from the South African Department of Health, which maintains that the constitution guarantees healthcare access to all people, regardless of nationality or legal status.
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