Migrants, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Recent weeks have seen a troubling surge in xenophobic activity in South Africa, particularly targeting foreign nationals’ access to public healthcare a phenomenon now termed “medical xenophobia.” Despite constitutional guarantees and legal precedents affirming healthcare rights for all, activists have illegally blocked clinics, harassed staff, and removed patients, claiming foreigners are overburdening the system.
These actions, fuelled by political rhetoric and misinformation, have spread from Gauteng to other provinces and are increasingly normalized in public discourse. Groups like Operation Dudula have escalated their campaigns to schools and civil society organizations, conflating documented and undocumented migrants and promoting exclusionary policies. Political parties such as Action SA have proposed measures like compulsory payments and deportation post-treatment. Meanwhile, government and human rights bodies reaffirm that healthcare access is a universal right, not contingent on nationality or immigration status. Globally, similar patterns emerge, with UK research showing how hostile language in media and politics reinforces anti-migrant sentiment and legitimizes surveillance-based immigration policies.
The broader context reveals tensions in sectors like construction and logistics, where skill shortages coexist with resistance to hiring foreign workers, underscoring the need for balanced labour migration policies and inclusive governance.
Written by Peter-John Pearson from the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference
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Categories:
- Migration
- Migration And Global Issues
- Migration And Immigration
- Migration And Refugees
- Migration In Africa
- Migration Policies
- Migration & Refugees
- South Africa Law Protection Asylum Seekers
Tags:
- Global Xenophobia Trends
- Inclusive Migration Policies South Africa
- Migrant Rights And Healthcare
- South African Healthcare Crisis
- Xenophobia In Gauteng
- Anti-migrant Rhetoric South Africa
- Healthcare Rights For Migrants
- South Africa Xenophobia 2025
- Human Rights Healthcare South Africa
- Migrants Access To Clinics South Africa
- Foreign Nationals Healthcare South Africa
- Action SA Healthcare Policy
- Operation Dudula News
- Xenophobia In Healthcare
- Medical Xenophobia South Africa