South Africa has repatriated more than 7,000 undocumented Malawian nationals from Durban [1].
This operation follows a surge in illegal immigration and deteriorating humanitarian conditions in KwaZulu-Natal. The government is attempting to reduce xenophobic tensions in the region while addressing the overcrowding of temporary shelters [5, 6].
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said the government closed the Sherwood Hall transit camp, which was located outside the central business district. More than 7,000 migrants had previously turned that community hall into a camping site [4]. The remaining migrants were moved to a new temporary repatriation site in the north-beach/Old Drive-In area [1, 2].
Despite the recent departures, the scale of the crisis remains significant. Approximately 8,000 people are yet to be processed for return [2]. To facilitate this movement, the South African government sought 1,000 buses to transport the individuals [3].
Beyond the Durban sites, the crackdown has extended to other urban centers. More than 1,000 Malawian nationals occupied a condemned building in Pietermaritzburg [1].
Reports on the exact status of the 7,000 individuals in Durban have varied. While some reports state they have been sent home [1, 2], other accounts suggest that 7,000 Malawians remain stuck in Durban awaiting transport [3].
“More than 7,000 Malawian nationals have been repatriated from Durban”
The scale of these repatriations reflects a tightening of South African immigration enforcement amid rising social volatility. The reliance on temporary sites like community halls and condemned buildings highlights a lack of permanent infrastructure to handle migrant surges, while the discrepancy in repatriation numbers suggests a logistical struggle to match processing speeds with actual transport capacity.
