XENOBAROMETER: Unlawful anti-immigrant blockades persist outside Durban clinics

On Tuesday, a video captured by Viewfinder inside the Lancers Road Clinic in Durban showed members of the anti-immigrant group March and March demanding identity documents from a journalist. They led the journalist to the security guard, who also demanded the same documents, claiming it was "instruction". This is part of a persistent issue where March and March supporters block clinics and demand IDs from patients.

The KwaZulu-Natal health department had previously labelled this "vigilantism" as "illegal", "unconstitutional" and posing "a serious risk to public health". Court rulings have echoed this stance. Lancers Road Clinic, managed by the eThekwini Municipality, confirmed that individuals without IDs were not being denied access to healthcare.

However, the actions of March and March supporters and even a government-contracted security guard at the clinic appear to be unlawful. The municipality is reportedly investigating the matter.

The story of healthcare xenophobia is not limited to undocumented immigrants, according to Gaby Bikombo, a naturalised South African citizen and advocate for migrant rights. Bikombo, who fled war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now holds all necessary South African citizenship documents. Despite his status, he was blocked from accessing healthcare at Addington Hospital on July 3, 2025 because his children, who are citizens by naturalisation and by birth, were not allowed in.

This experience has left Bikombo extremely worried about the future of healthcare access for all South Africans, regardless of their immigration status.