Download PDFThat’s the question a Community Health Worker and longtime community member in Hebron, North West, has been asking since the beginning of the Dudula campaign, a campaign during which our brothers and sisters from neighbouring African countries and afield are being chased away from public health facilities, especially in Gauteng.
This is deeply worrying. Because of Dudula, many health facilities in the North West are seeing a sudden increase in clients coming from Gauteng. While some people believe Dudula is a useful move that eases the workload of clinic staff, they are overlooking a critical point: even if we deny migrants medical care, they remain part of our communities. They are our neighbours; their children go to the same schools and play with our children.
If a child or adult from another country becomes infected with a contagious disease and is left untreated, we will all be at risk, we are not immune. For example, if a neighbour contracts TB and does not receive treatment, the whole community can be affected.
In short, Dudula is like taking a loaded gun and pointing it at the country. Let’s not help oppressors oppress us; we should protect the health and dignity of everyone who lives among us.
This article is an opinion piece submitted on 03 November 2025. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of Karibu! Online or Khanya College. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
