The organization Operation Dudula has launched a new campaign targeting the education sector, demanding that public schools in Soweto prioritize South African children over foreign nationals. The group’s leader, Zandile Dabula, announced the initiative, which is set to intensify at the start of the 2026 academic year.
This week, members of Operation Dudula delivered letters of demand to several schools in Soweto. Dabula stated that the organization visited ten schools, engaging with principals and deputies. She claimed that school officials acknowledged the presence of undocumented foreign children in their classrooms and signed receipts for the letters.
“The principles are admitting that yes they do have undocumented foreign children that are at their schools,” Dabula said in an interview. She cited one principal who allegedly reported having 600 undocumented children enrolled.
The campaign, dubbed “Put a South African Child First,” aims to prevent undocumented foreign children from enrolling in public schools for the 2026 school year. Dabula vowed that organization members would be stationed at schools on the first days of the term to monitor admissions.
“We will be stationed at the schools especially on the first days… because we know that parents will be accompanying their children,” she said. “We can make sure that we don’t have foreign kids in our public schools. Here we’re talking about prioritizing South Africans more than anything. We can’t have a South African child without a desk, yet we have a foreign child that has a desk.”
Dabula argued that the presence of undocumented learners strains resources, as schools do not receive budget allocations for them, leading to overcrowded classrooms. She proposed that children of foreign nationals should attend private schools and pay for their education.
However, a School Governing Body (SGB) representative from one of the visited schools expressed frustration, stating that Operation Dudula is directing its grievances at the wrong people. The representative indicated that schools are bound by law to admit all children.
This position was reinforced by education department spokesperson Steve Mabona, who stated that the department must adhere to its constitutional obligation and a high court judgment. “There’s a court judgment which said to us a child must be in a class whether documented or undocumented,” Mabona explained. He acknowledged the challenge for undocumented learners, who are allowed to write final exams but cannot receive a matric certificate without proper documentation.
The campaign has drawn criticism from political parties and civil society groups, who label it a violation of the constitution. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has threatened legal action against Operation Dudula, citing previous actions at healthcare facilities which they believe cost a young life.
Dabula dismissed the EFF’s threats as “baseless allegations,” denying involvement in the specific healthcare incident and accusing the media of biased reporting. She challenged the EFF to focus on issues affecting South African citizens.
Operation Dudula’s latest move sets the stage for a contentious start to the 2026 school year, pitting the group’s nationalist agenda against the constitutional right to basic education for every child in South Africa.