The death of a child, Praise Banda, has sparked tensions between the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng and Operation Dudula.

According to the EFF, Praise’s mother, Grace Banda from Malawi, was allegedly denied entry into both the Alexandra Community Health Centre and the 8th Avenue Clinic by members of Operation Dudula. The party claims that this denial ultimately cost her child’s life.

Read more: Operation Dudula opens a defamation case against EFF

In response, the EFF, led by Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga, staged a march to the Alexandra Police Station on September 20 to open a case against Operation Dudula for what they described as ‘illegal and barbaric conduct.’ The party referred to Operation Dudula as ‘nothing more than a criminal gang masquerading as a community structure’.

“The profiling of patients at clinic gates, demanding IDs and proof of nationality, is unconstitutional, unlawful, and reminiscent of the pass laws of apartheid,” the EFF said in a statement. They warned that such practices represented a dangerous slide into lawlessness, xenophobia, and tribalism.

Also read: Dudula Movement demonstrates outside the Alex SAPS against the arrest of its leader.

“What begins as hatred directed at African migrants quickly mutates into the policing of fellow South Africans based on their language, place of origin, or cultural identity,” the party cautioned.

Dunga added that Operation Dudula’s actions were obstructing access to healthcare for citizens they labelled as undocumented. “According to them, anyone who comes to these facilities without identification is perceived to be an illegal immigrant,” he said.

Operation Dudula has denied any involvement in the incident relating to Praise’s death. The group labelled the allegations as reckless and misleading, stating that there is no evidence linking its members to the tragedy.

In a video released on September 27, Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula denied that any murder case had been filed against her or the group. She also revealed that Operation Dudula had opened a case of defamation against EFF members who, she claimed, had defamed both the organisation and her personally.

“A lot has been said about me. I have been labelled as a murderer, and it cannot just end like that,” she said. “We have to make sure that we deal with people who defame us on social media platforms and even on mainstream media.”

Despite growing criticism, Dabula reaffirmed the group’s stance on illegal immigration. “Whether you take us to prison or keep de-campaigning us, we will put you [South Africans] first,” she said.

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