- Civil society organisations have filed an urgent application at the High Court to end vigilante obstruction at public clinics, putting vulnerable patients at risk.
- Patients without South African identity documents are being denied care, including pregnant women, children, and infants, which threatens public health.
- The organisations request the court to compel the state to secure access, remove unauthorised persons, deploy trained security, and report incidents to the police.
Civil society organisations advocating for fair access to healthcare have submitted an urgent application at the High Court in Johannesburg, seeking intervention to stop the obstruction that prevents patients from accessing essential medical services.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia (KAAX), represented by SECTION27, have brought this application against the City of Johannesburg, Gauteng Department of Health and the South African Police Service.
The application, heard on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, requests the court to compel the State to ensure safe and unhindered access to clinics while removing any unauthorised individuals obstructing healthcare services.
Dozens of clinics in Gauteng have reportedly become hotspots for vigilante action. Individuals block entry for patients who cannot provide South African identity documents, the organisations argued. This group includes foreign nationals and South Africans without identity documentation.
Many patients, including pregnant and lactating women, infants and children, have been turned away. In a statement, the organisations said, “The ongoing obstruction not only threatens those without proper documentation but also has a broader impact on public health as untreated illnesses and interrupted treatments endanger entire communities.”
Constitutional rights must be upheld
The organisations stressed that the Constitution guarantees access to healthcare for all residents, including emergency medical treatment and basic healthcare services for children. Despite repeated requests for help and coordination authorities have not taken effective steps to ensure access to these facilities.
In their statement, they said, “It is therefore imperative for state actors not to pass the buck but to act decisively to protect the right to access healthcare, which can make the difference between life and death.”
The organisations are asking the court for orders directing the State to take all reasonable measures to ensure safe physical access to clinics. They want the removal of unauthorised persons, the deployment of adequate numbers of trained security personnel, public notices at entry points prohibiting interference and reporting of all incidents to the South African Police Service.
They explained, “This hindrance affects everyone seeking medical assistance, including pregnant and lactating women, infants and children, groups that are particularly dependent on continuous medical care.”
Urgency of state action
The organisations stressed that these clinics are meant to save lives, yet unauthorised vigilante actions have turned them into sites of exclusion. They noted that constitutional rights do not depend on affiliation to particular groups, nationality or documentation status.
The State’s failure to act decisively undermines the right to access healthcare and puts the lives of children and other vulnerable patients at serious risk, they said.
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