The Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA) has lamented that Nigerians are dying daily after being denied access to public hospitals by an anti-migrant group in the country.
Smart Nwobi, NUSA president, said in an interview that members of Operation Dudula have stationed themselves at hospital entrances, demanding identity cards and preventing foreigners without South African citizenship documents from receiving treatment.
He said even naturalised citizens who could not speak local languages had been turned away from health facilities.
Nwobi said: “Nigerians have resorted to self-medication, which is detrimental to their health. Some of them are losing their lives every day. The statistics are there.
“Nigerians are now afraid of going to public hospitals in South Africa to avoid being beaten to death or assaulted. That is the unfortunate part of it. So, this requires urgent intervention.”
Nwobi said anti-migrant sentiment usually worsens during elections, with foreigners, especially traders, becoming targets of violence.
“Now, as it is getting close to election time, foreigners, especially those doing business, are always the target.
“That anger against the ruling party, the government, is transferred to foreigners. Nigerians are always among the victims when this happens,” he said.
Operation Dudula has consistently accused foreign nationals of overburdening South Africa’s healthcare system.
Earlier in August, members of the group stormed Lilian Ngoyi Community Health Centre in Diepkloof in an attempt to shut down the facility.
The South African Department of Health condemned the protests, describing them as unlawful and disruptive to essential services.
“We do not condone these actions, which serve to interfere with the provision of health care services in our health facilities,” Foster Mohale, the department’s spokesperson, said.