Anti-immigration team needs to shut down “unpatriotic” organisations
- Anti-immigration team Operation Dudula marched against human rights organisations on Thursday.
- They tried to give up a memorandum to the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI), but were upset that they were blocked from entering the building by supporters of Abahlali Contaminated’mjondolo.
- Operation Dudula president Zandile Dabula acknowledged they’re going to return and “close these offices”.
- SERI and Abahlali Contaminated’mjondolo teach the pronounce is “misguided”.
Human rights organisations united to terminate contributors of the vigilante anti-immigration team Operation Dudula in Johannesburg from entering the offices of the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (SERI) on Thursday.
Operation Dudula had deliberate to give up memoranda to SERI, the South African Human Rights Fee (SAHRC), and the Helen Suzman Foundation. They claim these organisations are “unpatriotic” for protecting “illegal foreigners” on the expense of South Africans.
About a dozen Operation Dudula supporters walked from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown to SERI’s offices in Braamfontein.
“We are reclaiming our country. We are reclaiming what belongs to us and today we are starting to clean the streets,” acknowledged Thami Madondo, one in every of the team’s leaders.
“South Africa belongs to South Africans. South Africa does not belong to anyone who lives in South Africa.”
Madondo denied that Operation Dudula changed into xenophobic. But at some point of the march, he chanted derogatory descriptions of immigrants over the microphone.
When they reached SERI’s offices, they were met by contributors of the shack dwellers’ scoot Abahlali baseMjondolo who had come to face in solidarity with SERI.
The Operation Dudula supporters were unhappy that assorted organisations were blocking them from entering the administrative middle to give up their memorandum. They taunted, swore at and shoved some of those standing with SERI. Law enforcement officers aged pepper spray on a team of Operation Dudula protesters who tried to enter the offices and at last managed to push them away.
Operation Dudula president Zandile Dabula changed into noticeably upset about no longer being allowed inside the offices and changed into heard saying, “We will come back here and close these offices.”
They made up our minds no longer to give up the memorandum and instead moved on the SAHRC offices, where they handed over their memorandum.
Sooner than the march, Nomzamo Zondo, SERI’s executive director, told GroundUp that they supported Operation Dudula’s appropriate to pronounce, but felt the team changed into inaccurate in who they were blaming.
“Most people understand that while government has done a lot over the past 30 years, a lot remains to be done, and in some cases, the state is failing its people. The misguided sentiment that migrants are to blame is taking hold in our communities and is increasingly being dangerously weaponised by political leaders, in part to distract people from the root causes of these challenges,” she acknowledged.
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“While it is crucial that all of us, especially those most affected by poverty and inequality, be given space to share experiences, raise legitimate concerns, and to advocate for their rights, it is equally important that those issues are not weaponised to justify breaking the law and violating the rights of any group of people.”
After the Operation Dudula contributors left, Zondo acknowledged, “Unfortunately, instead of delivering the memorandum, they hurled insults at us which we could only drown with song.”
Abahlali baseMjondolo frequent secretary Thapelo Mohapi told GroundUp that they were hoping to unite extra South Africans to face against the team.
“We have a health crisis in this country. We have high unemployment rates in this country, and our economy is not growing. There is a lack of political will from the government to address the issues and the problems this country is facing. We are saying to our brothers and sisters in Dudula that they are misguided and they should divert their anger and take these issues to government,” he acknowledged.
“The majority of South Africans know that we are all connected, we love the rest of Africa, and that is why we are here today. It is to say that we are not poor because of other poor, black people from African countries. We want to tell South Africans to unite and not fight amongst ourselves.”
