South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday condemned anti-immigrant protests that had prevented foreigners from accessing a hospital in the capital, fuelling concerns about rising xenophobia.
“Acts of lawlessness, intimidation and humiliation directed at foreign nationals, whether they are documented or undocumented, should not be tolerated,” Ramaphosa told parliament in a televised address.
A new anti-immigration movement dubbed Operation Dudula, meaning “push back” in Zulu, has been picketing Kalafong Hospital in Atteridgeville, a township west of Pretoria.
Protesters have blocked patients on the basis of skin colour and language, infringing on basic rights, the government said in a separate statement.
Their actions “go against the tenets of our hard fought for democracy,” it said, referring to the struggle against apartheid — a system that brutally divided the country along the lines of race.
Ramaphosa maintained that South Africans were not “xenophobic” but “quite welcoming.”
But he added that law enforcement and security forces were carrying out operations to deal with the issue of illegal migration.
The protestors blame long waits and poor service in the public health sector on strains caused by an influx of foreign migrants.
Their action follows a viral video of provincial health minister Dr Phophi Ramathuba berating a Zimbabwean patient, accusing her of seeking treatment at a government hospital at the expense of South Africans.
