Africa-Press – South-Africa. Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini and Operation Dudula announced their split on Monday.
In a joint statement, Dlamini and Operation Dudula said they decided to part ways after several meetings resulted in what they called opposing views on undocumented foreign nationals.
Dlamini, Operation Dudula and the Dudula Movement, a separate grouping, have been widely criticised for promoting xenophobic sentiments and vigilantism, as well as taking the law into their own hands.
Before the joint statement, Dlamini had told News24 that he planned to distance himself from the controversial Operation Dudula to focus on his work as the leader of his group, Soweto Parliament.
Dlamini opened up about his plan when asked to respond to allegations of harassment made by informal traders at Park Station in the Johannesburg city centre.
In June, members of Operation Dudula marched to Park Station to demand that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) allow only South African vendors to trade.
‘There is an agenda to silence me since we are targeting borders’ – Nhlanhla Lux
However, traders told News24 that the group later changed its stance and called for the removal of all informal traders – locals and foreign nationals.
Phumlani Ndlovu from the Park Station Traders Management Forum and Phumlani Zondo from the South African Railway Hawkers’ Association told News24 they blamed Operation Dudula for Prasa’s decision to remove them from Park Station.
Zondo and Ndlovu were among 60 traders who lost thousands of rand in income during the three weeks they were not allowed to trade.
They were represented by the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), who told News24 that Prasa had launched an urgent interdict in the Gauteng High Court against informal traders. From 21 June to 11 July, its clients were prohibited from trading due to Prasa’s interdict application.
On Monday, 11 July, the Gauteng High Court dismissed the application on the basis that it lacked urgency.
Zondo, a South African national who sells clothes in the Johannesburg city centre, told News24 the demands of Operation Dudula had become unclear. He said he lost R4 000 in the three weeks he was not allowed to trade.
He said:
“What do they want us to do? It seems as if their issue is no longer about foreign nationals, but South Africans as well,” he added.
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