Operation Dudula EFF Kalafong Hospital

Operation Dudula and EFF members fighting outside Kalafong Hospital. Screenshot via Twitter/@ncwane_nokwanda.

ICYMI: EFF and Operation Dudula fight outside Kalafong Hospital [watch]

EFF and Operation Dudula members exchanged blows while others were sjamboked outside Kalafong Hospital on Thursday.

Operation Dudula EFF Kalafong Hospital

Operation Dudula and EFF members fighting outside Kalafong Hospital. Screenshot via Twitter/@ncwane_nokwanda.

Violence flared up outside the Kalafong Tertiary Provincial Hospital in Atteridgeville, Tshwane between Operation Dudula members and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) from Gauteng on Thursday, 30 August. 

As previously reported, Operation Dudula members have been picketing outside the hospital and have been preventing immigrants from accessing health services insisting they should be properly documented and should pay for the services. 

WATCH: EFF AND OPERATION DUDULA FIGHT OUTSIDE KALAFONG HOSPITAL

Operation Dudula members who had gathered outside the hospital where Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla was expected to do a site visit to assess the impact of the sporadic protests on access to health services were earlier dismissed outside the hospital by police. 

Moments later, they returned in numbers armed with sjamboks. A fight then ensued between the group and EFF members which saw rocks and alcohol bottles flying in the air. Police then fired stun grenades to disperse the crowd and others were manhandled during the altercation. 

EFF members then fled fearing for their lives and the remaining Dudula members burnt the party’s flags which had been displayed outside the hospital.

Another fight had broken out earlier where EFF members called for Operation Dudula to vacate citing the court interdict that the Gauteng Health Department obtained from the Pretoria High Court on Friday, 26 August which barred Dudula members from denying patients access to Kalafong Hospital.

On Thursday, the two groups reportedly exchanged blows when they clashed over the same issue outside the hospital.

ALSO READ: Health Department considering billing neighbouring countries for services