Gauteng Premier Lesufi Comments on Undocumented Foreign Nationals Burdening the Healthcare System
- The Premier of Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi, weighed in on undocumented foreign nationals in a recent interview
- His comments came after Operation Dudula embarked on a campaign to prevent undocumented foreigners from accessing public healthcare facilities
- Panyaza admitted that the government is not acting appropriately and has mishandled the crisis
- Wits University migration expert, Professor Loren Landau, spoke to Briefly News about the impact of migration on public healthcare
Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
Source: Getty Images
JOHANNESBURG — South Africans debated Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi's statements on the issue of undocumented foreign nationals burdening the province's healthcare system.
Lesufi spoke in an interview with eNCA on 20 July 2025. When asked about how the provincial government would address undocumented foreign nationals using healthcare facilities, he said that the issue of undocumented foreign nationals has been mismanaged.
Lesufi also commented on Operation Dudula's recent campaign to remove undocumented foreign nationals from public healthcare facilities. He said that although it may seem like a piecemeal solution, it might not work in the long run.
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"The reality is we are invaded by people we don't know and we can't account for. We don't know why they are here, how they came here, and we don't even know their agenda," he said.
Lesufi said the government did not respond quickly to the crisis of illegal foreigners. He raised his concerns about the influx of illegal foreign nationals in the province.
"You can't have people who you don't know who they are in our own country. It's not only a risk for our security, but a sudden mushrooming of people who own businesses. You don't know where they buy their stock, where they bank," he said.
Lesufi expressed concerns about illegal foreigners
Lesufi also said it is concerning that the government cannot account for illegal foreign nationals residing in townships and informal settlements. He said the government does not have a database of illegal foreigners.
"If it's not a level of recklessness, I don't know how to characterize it. So we have to deal with it head-on, and we need to come up with new methods to deal with it."
Source: Getty Images
What is Operation Dudula doing?
Operation Dudula and March have been removing foreign nationals from public healthcare facilities since late June. The organisations, which are against undocumented foreign nationals, have accused illegal immigrants of burdening the public healthcare system.
Briefly News speaks to migration expert
Professor Loren Landau, the South African Research Chair in Mobility and the Politics of Difference at Wits University's African Centre for Migration & Society, spoke to Briefly News and attributed the pressure the healthcare system experiences to poor planning, misallocation of funds, cadre deployment and corruption.
"South Africans face real challenges in accessing the services they need and to which they’re entitled. While specific clinics may face challenges due to immigration, the problems are system-wide. And those problems are due to poor planning, misallocation of funds, cadre deployment, and corruption, not immigrants," he said.
Civic groups removing foreign nationals
- The South African Human Rights Commission, on 2 July 2025, declared that undocumented foreign nationals have a right to medical treatment in South Africa.
- Three days later, the South African government deployed the South African Police Service in affected areas to prevent locals from removing foreign nationals from hospitals and clinics.
- Operation Dudula said that it uncovered criminal activities in public clinics and hospitals, and defended the campaign of removing undocumented foreign nationals as a crime-fighting mechanism.
- Residents of Rossettenville in Johannesburg protested on 9 July 2025 and handed over a memorandum to the Booysens Police Station, accusing the police of helping undocumented foreign nationals.
- Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko slammed South Africans removing undocumented foreign nationals from public healthcare facilities.
Who is entitled to free healthcare in South Africa?
Section 4(3) of the National Health Act says that certain health services must be provided for free to people without medical aid. These services are available to everyone, regardless of nationality, immigration status, or whether they have official documents.
A 2008 memo from the Gauteng health department supports this, stating that no patient should be denied healthcare, including antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, even if they don’t have a South African ID.
Importantly, emergency medical treatment cannot be refused to anyone. No matter who you are, you must be treated in an emergency. You might be billed later, but you can’t be asked to pay before you receive care.
Wits Professor weighs in on undocumented foreigners in healthcare system
In a related article, Briefly News reported that Wits University professor Loren Landau shared his views on the crisis of civic movements removing undocumented foreign nationals from public healthcare facilities. This came after Operation Dudula and March removed illegal immigrants from clinics and hospitals.
Landau said that undocumented foreign nationals face short-term material and psychological hardship, which can be disruptive. He added that privatizing law enforcement in ad hoc and unconstitutional ways puts everyone at risk.
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Source: Briefly News
