A Gauteng High Court ruling has ordered the City of Johannesburg, the Gauteng and national Health Departments and the police to guarantee safe, unhindered access to public clinics. – Medicalbrief (10 Dec 2025)
This follows incidents where, xenophobic groups such as Operation Dudula continued blocking foreign nationals from entering facilities in Yeoville and Rosettenville. The order requires authorities to remove anyone obstructing access, deploy trained security personnel and place warning notices at clinic entrances within five days.
Judge Stuart Wilson condemned xenophobia as a major threat to democracy, calling it a form of racism driven by misinformation. Activists, including Sharon Ekambaram from Lawyers for Human Rights, said systemic failures - such as the broken asylum system, high passport costs for migrants and blocked South African IDs - fuel discrimination.
Meanwhile, immigrants say clinic staff at several clinics in Gauteng are demanding money in exchange for ARVs, other chronic medications and baby immunisations, with the going rate for a three-month supply of ARVs being around R330. - GroundUp(10 Dec 2025).
The National Department of Health alleges it is unaware of staff at Spartan, Jeppe and Yeoville clinics extorting money, but has strongly condemned the practice and asked that anyone with evidence contact the department or police.
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