Motsoaledi: Operation Dudula Court Ruling Was “Expected” As Health Access Debate Deepens

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he wasn’t surprised by the Gauteng High Court’s ruling that interdicted Operation Dudula from blocking undocumented migrants from receiving healthcare services at South African clinics and hospitals.

The court’s decision, handed down on Tuesday, came as the grassroots movement intensified its campaign to restrict access for foreign nationals in the public health systema move the minister described as unlawful and misguided.

A Predictable Outcome

Speaking on The Clement Manyathela Show on 702 shortly after the judgment was made public, Motsoaledi said the outcome “was to be expected,” adding that Operation Dudula’s methods were “completely wrong.”

“I met with Operation Dudula about their concerns, some of which might be legitimate,” he said. “But I told them that their approachdemanding that hospitals deny files to anyone without a South African IDsimply cannot work.”

Motsoaledi reminded the group that even among South Africans, documentation gaps are widespread. “About 11 percent of our population doesn’t have any form of documentation,” he explained. “That means you’d also be turning away South Africans who need care.”

Conversations With Neighbouring Governments

Host Clement Manyathela pressed the minister on whether South Africa has engaged with the home countries or embassies of foreign nationals who rely on local public hospitals.

“Is there a conversation about how we can work together?” Manyathela asked. “Because the reality is that their citizens are herewhether legally or notand they are using resources. Isn’t there room for shared responsibility?”

Motsoaledi was blunt in his response. “I don’t think they’re interested in helping us,” he said. “It’s South Africa that’s feeling the pressure, not them. In fact, many of them are relieved.”

Balancing Humanity And Policy

The debate touches on one of South Africa’s most complex moral and economic dilemmas: balancing the right to healthcare with the strain of migration on an already stretched public system. Operation Dudula’s activism has divided opinion, with many South Africans frustrated about service delivery gaps, while rights groups warn against xenophobic undercurrents.

Social media reaction has been swift. On X (formerly Twitter), users praised the court’s ruling as “a win for human dignity,” while others argued that “South Africans are being sidelined in their own hospitals.”

Health experts have echoed Motsoaledi’s stance, saying that excluding undocumented people would not only violate medical ethics but also worsen public health risks.

A Broader Discussion

Motsoaledi’s conversation with Manyathela also touched on other health system challenges, including the National Health Insurance rollout, corruption at Tembisa Hospital, and South Africa’s role in the upcoming G20 health summit.

For now, the ruling against Operation Dudula reinforces a central message from the minister: health care is a constitutional right, not a tool for social exclusion.

“Turning people away will never solve our systemic problems,” he said. “We fix them by strengthening governance, not by closing clinic doors.”

{Source:EWN}

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