On 6 April 2022, gardener and father of four Elvis Nyathi was stoned and burnt to death in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, after a vigilante group linked to Operation Dudula demanded that he produce a passport or identification document, and he failed to do so. Dudula, from which the group takes its name, is a Zulu word meaning ‘force out’. This social movement with vigilante characteristics has now registered as a political party to run in South Africa’s upcoming elections. It was launched on the back of the July 2021 riots in Soweto, a township in southern Johannesburg, which were sparked by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma. The group claims to have a presence in seven of South Africa’s nine provinces.
Its original public face was one Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini, whose predilection for dressing in military regalia caught on amongst followers. He has since left, saying he only supports the deportation of undocumented migrants – in contrast to Dudula diehards who favour forcing all migrants out.
