Operation Dudula is an organisation which turned into a political party in South Africa. The group is widely recognised as being

xenophobic Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

, and has been linked with violently threatening and targeting both legal and illegal migrants. The group blames South Africa's porous borders, lenient

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as Permanent residency, permanent residents. Commuting, Commuter ...

practices and the presence of migrants for many of South Africa's social issues. Operation Dudula was established in

Soweto Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...

, a township of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, and has since spread to other parts of the country. "''Dudula''" means to "force out" or "knock down" in

isiZulu Zulu ( ), or isiZulu as an endonym, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in, and indigenous to, Southern Africa. Nguni dialects are regional or social varieties of the Nguni language, distinguished by vocabulary, pronunciatio ...

, and refers to the movement's goal to expel migrants. Although they have been accused of violently targeting immigrants, Operation Dudula denies having any connection to xenophobic motives.

Origins, aims and activities

Operation Dudula was founded by Nhlanhla "Lux" Dlamini (also Mohlauhi). Dlamini rose to prominence for his role in defending

Maponya Mall Maponya Mall is a shopping centre in Soweto, Pimville, South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bo ...

from looters in the July 2021 unrest. The group emerged from discourse that blamed migrants for the fallout and economic hardship of COVID-19 deaths and lockdowns. Operation Dudula led their first march on 16 June 2021 through

targeting people they that they believed were foreign drug traffickers and businesses that they thought employed immigrants. The march increased their popularity and in the following months, several other anti-immigrant groups also going by Dudula or some variation of the name, such as the separate Alexandra Dudula Movement, were established. In April 2022, Operation Dudula expanded to

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

, KwaZulu Natal, and in May 2022, to

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

Province. Operation Dudula states that its campaign is aimed at addressing crime, a lack of jobs and poor health services caused by an "influx of illegal immigrants". They have campaigned for small businesses to only employ South Africans, and for migrant shop keepers to close down and leave South Africa. Operation Dudula has been accused of a number of instances of violence against African immigrants in South African townships, including forcibly closing shops and raiding properties. In March 2022, Dlamini was arrested on charges of orchestrating a raid of EFF member Victor Ramerafe's Dobsonville home where Operation Dudula claimed drugs were being sold; he duly received two suspended sentences. In July 2022, Dlamini left Operation Dudula to concentrate on his work with the Soweto Parliament; this was due to disagreements between the two groups over immigration. In July and August 2022, Operation Dudula targeted and confronted illegal migrants who occupied buildings in Johannesburg's

inner city The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...

. The group has no membership structure, is highly visible on social media and is composed of mainly affected community members. In May 2023, it declared itself as a political party intending to contest the

2024 elections This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. *2024 United Nations Security Council election *2024 national electoral calendar *2024 local electoral ...

. Other organisations associated with Operation Dudula include: * South Africa First campaign * Alexandra Dudula Movement * All Truck Drivers Foundation * MKMVA – the UMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association (disbanded).

Response

Operation Dudula has been termed Afrophobic. Supporters of migrant rights argue that Operation Dudula is unjustly blaming migrants for economic hardship caused by South Africa's deep inequality. Some opposition groups against Operation Dudula have been formed. Kopanang Africa against Xenophobia (KAAX) is a group established in opposition to Operation Dudula. In 2023, KAAX and other civil society groups filed a court case against Operation Dudula, seeking to prevent the group from assaulting foreign nationals and to end their efforts to try to block access to schools and health care services for foreigners. The South African Department of Home Affairs and Police Services were later added to the case, for failing to protect vulnerable communities. The case finally made it to court in June 2025. In April 2022, after civil society pressure, president

Cyril Ramaphosa Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the 5th and current President of South Africa since 2018. A former Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and trade union leade ...

denounced Operation Dudula as illegal vigilantism. Although Operation Dudula at the time was unaffiliated with a political party, its leaders have received public support from

Patriotic Alliance The Patriotic Alliance (PA) is a right-wing political party in South Africa, formed in November 2013 by, among others, businessmen and convicted criminals Gayton McKenzie and Kenny Kunene. Since 2024, it is a part of the current South African ...

leaders

Gayton McKenzie Gayton McKenzie (born 10 March 1974) is a South African politician, businessman, and former convicted criminal, who has served as Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture in the Government of National Unity (GNU) since July 2024. After spending eig ...

and

Kenny Kunene Kenny Kunene (born 21 October 1970) is a South African businessman, politician, motivational speaker, teacher, activist and convicted criminal. Kunene currently serves as Deputy President of the Patriotic Alliance. He served as Secretary-General ...

Election results

Provincial elections

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Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

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Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

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Kwazulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

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Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

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Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

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Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

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References

External links

*BBC News Africa (2023): Africa Eye documentar
- ''Fear and Loathing in South Africa''
{{Political history of South Africa, state=collapsed Anti-immigration politics in Africa Far-right politics in South Africa Political parties in South Africa

Origins, aims and activities

Response

Election results

Provincial elections

See also

References

External links