The civil society organisation has come under fire for its controversial campaign, which involves attempting to prevent undocumented foreign nationals from accessing state medical services.

Operation Dudula President Zandile Dabula says the latest action is not new and follows earlier campaigns highlighting what the organisation calls the overburdening of SA's public healthcare system by undocumented migrants.

"This is not the first programme of this magnitude. We did it about two years ago, and the departments of Home Affairs and Health promised to do something about it,” Dabula said.

She added that the organisation has received a surge of complaints from South African citizens in recent weeks, prompting them to revive the campaign.

“In the past month, we've been getting a lot of calls, people complaining, and that's when we started our campaign, visiting these healthcare facilities. We have a very ignorant government that doesn’t listen to its own citizens. Now people end up having to complain to Dudula rather than going to the correct departments,” Dabula said.

Operation Dudula has been criticised by civil society and human rights groups for its tactics, with concerns raised about the constitutionality of denying healthcare based on nationality or immigration status. SA law guarantees emergency medical treatment to everyone, regardless of their legal status.

--SABC/ChannelAfrica--