More than a year after blocking immigrants from entering Addington Hospital in Durban, supporters of the March and March movement are still staking out clinics in the city, demanding identity documents from patients at the gate and denying entry to those who do not comply. A video recorded surreptitiously by Viewfinder captured one such interaction at Lancers Road Clinic in Durban, showing a March and March supporter demanding an identity document from a journalist.
The KwaZulu-Natal health department has characterised this "vigilantism" as "illegal", "unconstitutional" and posing "a serious risk to public health". Court rulings in Gauteng have confirmed this interpretation. Lancers Road Clinic, run by the eThekwini Municipality, has confirmed that individuals without IDs are not being denied access to basic healthcare services. However, a government-contracted security guard at Lancers Road Clinic appears to be working with March and March supporters, which looks to be unlawful and at odds with the government's official position.
A naturalised South African citizen, Gaby Bikombo, who fled war in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, shared his experience of being blocked at Addington Hospital with Viewfinder. Despite having a 13-digit identity number and being a longtime advocate for migrant rights in Durban, Bikombo was stopped at the entrance with his family, including his 15-year-old son with autism, who requires regular medication from the hospital.
Bikombo's story suggests that March and March's claims of only targeting undocumented immigrants may not be accurate. His son, born at Addington Hospital with autism, was allowed to enter, but Bikombo and his wife were not, despite having valid identity documents. This experience has left Bikombo fearing for the future, as the anti-migrant movement becomes better organised and more influential.
Spot checks conducted by Viewfinder at three other healthcare facilities in Durban found that March and March supporters were still demanding identity documents from patients seeking to enter. At Gateway Clinic, a March and March supporter was at the gate, demanding identity documents from patients. The Department of Health has been clear about the illegality of this, but the MEC for health in the province, Nomagugu Simelane, has said that what happens beyond the gates is beyond hospital staff's control.
The police have also been criticised for their inaction in response to these incidents. Colonel Robert Netshiunda, a police spokesperson, confirmed that what March and March supporters were doing was illegal, but did not answer questions about the police's apparent failures to act. Lawyers for Human Rights have also reported that their clients were refused assistance at Point police station when they attempted to open cases last year.
March and March has taken ownership of the tactic of staking out clinic gates and demanding identification from patients, claiming that they are enforcing section 17 of the South African Constitution. However, their actions have been widely condemned as unlawful and unconstitutional, and the eThekwini municipality has announced an investigation into the matter.
Key points
- Anti-immigrant groups continue to block patients outside Durban clinics, demanding identity documents and denying entry to those who do not comply.
- The actions of March and March supporters have been condemned as unlawful and unconstitutional by the health department and court rulings.
- The police have been criticised for their inaction in response to these incidents, with some victims reporting being refused assistance at police stations.
