LET’S GET UP AND FIGHT FOR OUR COUNTRY - KRUGER

Operation Dudula Leader (above left) is pleading with South Africans to get up and fight for what belongs to them.  Images: X / SABC

As co-founder of the organisation, Solomon Kruger Kekana is always extremely busy with programmes and operations aimed at assisting the country’s citizens, be it job opportunities or accommodation facilities occupied by illegal or undocumented immigrants. Gauteng Mirror set down with this courageous leader to find out more about his deep sense of patriotism.

Gauteng Mirror: Who are you?

Kruger Kekana: I’m Solomon Kruger Kekana, lastborn of five children born to late parents Sarah Mandu Kekana and Alfred Mpua Kekana. We grew up in Naledi and eventually settled in Mapetla, Soweto.

GM: When did your political career start?

KK:  It was because of harsh conditions by apartheid system around 1989, when I decided to join Umkhonto Wesizwe (ANC Military wing).I spent four years outside South Africa, in different countries. We came back in 1992, at the time when the political landscape was starting to change for the better (like unbanning of black political formations). Most political prisoners were already released including the Great Nelson Mandela. The country was shifting towards national democratic elections. Negotiations (Codesa) between our political leaders and the former oppressors were taking place in Kempton Park.

GM: Were you incorporated to the South African Defense Force or receive some compensation?

KK: Yes exactly my brother we were incorporated, but because of internal politics within the SANDF, I later resigned.

GM: Can you elaborate more on that?

KK: We were offered lower ranks to those of white people who were part of the previous SADF. And also the training was not the same. Theirs was of inferior quality to the one we were used to.

GM: How did Operation Dudula came into existence?

KK: We were three when we came up with the idea of forming Operation Dudula, Robert Xaba, Zandile Dabula and me, in 2020. Robert later left us.

GM: What made you to form the organisation?

KK: The issue of foreign undocumented immigrants is the main one. People all over the world come to our country with no papers; we don’t know who they are, where they come from. They disadvantage our people in many ways. They take jobs, accommodation and small businesses or informal trading preserved for locals. Our inner cities or CBDs are full of filth, dilapidated buildings, high crime rate, high unemployment stats etc. Our country is going down because of them. Our government has no tight laws, loose borders, it’s whole lot. So we couldn’t fold our arms when our country is going down the drain.

GM: Have you achieved your objectives?

KK: We are making inroads my brother; in every corner of the World they know Operation Dudula. We have raided buildings and places of employment, took out undocumented and illegal foreigners and put South Africans in those places. But the struggle is far from over.

GM: What obstacles have you encountered along the way?

KK: Yhoo it’s a lot!! There is little cooperation from the state and also court cases by some NGOs (Non –Governmental Organisations). We are in court as we speak. But we will not keep quiet, we will keep fighting for our citizen, they will never succeed if they think Operation Dudula will close doors or be shut down.

GM: How do you counter xenophobic tag labeled against your organisation?

KK: We will not be deterred by that propaganda. All countries have strict laws in place to protect their citizens, all over the world. You can’t go to another country undocumented and on top of that, you do as you please there. You will be arrested and deported back to your own country. We are labeled as xenophobic so to protect these people and keep lawlessness in our country. We will not allow that.

GM: Who is funding the organisation?

KK: In truly speaking, we are totally not funded by anybody, we are self funding from our own pockets. We seriously need funding because we are fighting for a good cause. Hopefully someone somewhere will come to our rescue.

GM: What happened to your former spokesperson, Nhlanhla Lux?

KK: He tried to hijack the organisation. No one is bigger than Operation Dudula.

GM: How will you fill that position and other vacancies within your NEC (National Executive Committee)?

KK: We are still in the process of filling those vacancies. We have identified some few individuals inside and outside the organisation. We need people who are passionate about helping the community, true patriots. We are very careful of opportunists, people planted to infiltrate and destroy our organisation. We want 80 % of our leadership to be women. But we will have our elective conference after the upcoming local government elections.

GM: Are you a Civic organisation or Political Party?

KK: We are both. Reason is; we want to have an impact in the political space as well, where decisions are made, but at the same time still continue to help our communities.

GM:  Did you contest last year’s (2024) national general elections?

KK. Yes we contested in three provinces; Gauteng, Limpopo and Western Cape. But we faced challenges going to elections, like lack of resources to effectively campaign and infighting among ourselves as leadership. We ended up supporting Patriotic Alliance, hoping that they will give us a seat in parliament. But they didn’t honour that agreement. We learnt the hard way. Anyway it’s water under the bridge. We are chatting a way forward now.

GM: What’s your footprint?

KK: We are a national organisation. We have presence in eight provinces, except the Eastern Cape. But we will soon address that challenge.

GM: Will you contest the upcoming Local Government Elections?

KK: Like all other political parties, it’s our ambition too.

GM: Your message to South Africans.

KK: I would like to conscientise all my country people, men and women, to wake up and fight, no one will do it for us. This is the only country we have, nothing else. Undocumented foreign nationals have their own countries for backup. For us where must we go?