eThekwini Municipality has announced a 14-day limit for a temporary staging facility at the former Drive-In site.
Image: Supplied
The eThekwini Municipality has said that a temporary staging facility at the former Drive-In site near the Durban beachfront will operate for no longer than 14 days, as authorities move to relieve pressure at Sherwood hall where thousands of undocumented Malawian nationals remain gathered for processing and deportation.
Mayor Cyril Xaba said the Drive-In site would function strictly as a temporary overflow and staging area to support ongoing documentation and deportation processes.
“The Drive-In site will serve as a temporary staging area and overflow facility to alleviate pressure on existing facilities in Sherwood and to accelerate the deportation process,” Xaba said.
It is understood that more than 6000 Malawian nationals are at the Sherwood site waiting to go home. The group began gathering at the site early last week after they said they were chased out of informal settlements.
He added that the site’s location was strategically selected due to its proximity to the Durban Regional Court, which forms part of a broader system supporting immigration-related proceedings.
“Its proximity to the Durban Regional Court will further support these efforts by enabling the efficient transportation of individuals to the five dedicated courts established to process deportation matters,” Xaba said.
The mayor emphasised that the intervention is time-bound and will not extend beyond 14 days. Residents have been assured that the facility would not become permanent and that there are no plans to establish refugee camps in South Africa.
The municipality also acknowledged support from multiple stakeholders, including government departments across all spheres, businesses, non-profit organisations, faith-based groups, and local residents.
The announcement comes after an earlier attempt to use Tills Crescent Grounds in Sydenham as a relocation site was halted following strong community resistance.
In a community Facebook account, residents of Sydenham described how trucks and vehicles arrived at the grounds with tents intended for set up as part of the proposed relocation from Sherwood.
Residents said a group that included parents, working residents, teenagers, and elderly community members gathered at the site to object to the plan, citing concerns about safety and the use of a public recreational space.
“We engaged with a councillor sent by the mayor of eThekwini and later with the Mayor himself. We listened, and we made our position clear: we do not support the proposed relocation to Tills Crescent Grounds,” the community statement read.
The account further stated that residents raised concerns about security and the impact on a space used by children and families, adding that they intervened when instructions were given to proceed with erecting tents.
“And it didn’t happen,” the statement added.
The municipality has not publicly detailed why the Tills Crescent proposal was discontinued but confirmed that the Drive-In site was subsequently identified as a short-term overflow facility to ease congestion at Sherwood.
Officials say the intervention forms part of a broader operational response aimed at managing documentation, court processes, and deportation logistics in a controlled, time-limited manner while avoiding long-term displacement sites in residential areas.
For more stories from The Mercury, click the link THE MERCURY