Ex-Operation Dudula Leader Says Nhlanhla Lux Was Sent by the ANC to Destabilise Movement

• Former Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula made the claim during an interview on Penuel Mlotshwa's podcast
• Dabula alleged that Nhlanhla Lux initially failed to cause damage, left the organisation, then returned asking for forgiveness
• She said Lux did the most harm after returning, once he had built his profile and reputation within the movement

SOUTH AFRICA - A former leader of Operation Dudula has accused the movement's founder, Nhlanhla Lux Dlamini, of being planted by the ANC to destabilise it from within.

Zandile Dabula made the explosive allegation during an appearance on Penuel Mlotshwa's podcast, claiming that Lux was deployed by the ANC on more than one occasion. She said his first attempt failed and he eventually left the organisation, only to return later asking for forgiveness.

"The people who sent him, his ANC people, that I'm sure of. That is the same people he is with now," Dabula said.

Read also

Nhlanhla Lux clashes with Phakel'umthakathi in Soweto during heated spaza shop standoff, SA reacts

According to Dabula, Lux's return proved far more damaging than his first stint. By then, he had become a well-known figure within the movement and had begun to see himself as its central personality.

Lux's exit and the fall-out

When Lux eventually left the organisation, Dabula says he expected to take a significant portion of the membership with him. That did not happen. She believes those who stayed had seen through him and recognised that his motivations were personal rather than principled.

Dabula herself resigned from Operation Dudula in May 2026, citing growing internal divisions within the movement. She had taken over as national leader in June 2023, following the departure of Lux, in what is considered a significant shift for the organisation.

Operation Dudula was founded in Soweto in 2021 and has drawn national attention for its hardline stance against undocumented immigration.

View video here:

South Africans react online

The claims sparked heated debate on social media, with X user @jackson_rem sharing the story on 27 August 2026.

@LNxumalo85013 wrote:

"That guy Nhlanhla Lux is a spy of the ANC."

Read also

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma withdraws voice note attribution against Ronald Lamola

@nomagqwathekane said:

"We always knew and said it but slow thinkers refused to listen. Nhlanhla Lux was deployed like all of them to fight EFF and its president Julius Malema."

@RomeoTheeLover hit back:

"We don't care. You are also on the front line sent by ActionSA to cause black on black violence."

@tuwe01 added:

"The same can be said about her. The only difference is that Lux is with the ANC while she is with Action SA which is also a political party."

@AfricanBlackAsa reflected:

"Oh, Ubuntu has let us down. Imagine forgiving him only for him to come back and cause more damage to the organisation."

Malema criticises Operation Dudula leader

Briefly News reported that Commander-in-Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, expressed his thoughts on the viral interview of the leader of Operation Dudula, Zandile Dabula. This was after Dabula was asked about the Frontline States in relation to Operation Dudula’s actions against migrants from those countries. Despite several prompts, Dabula appeared uncertain and was unable to define the term.

Source: Briefly News