Adam Ali, a representative of the Embassy of Malawi in South Africa,and eThekwini Councillor Warren Burne update the displaced Malawian's at the Sherwood Hall park in Sydenham on Thursday.
Image: Zainul Dawood
Approximately 4,000 Malawians seeking voluntary repatriation have converged on the park from across Durban and surrounding areas after receiving threats from anti-illegal immigration groups moving through suburbs and informal settlements.
Many sought temporary refuge at the park on Sunday, with the number of displaced people increasing.
"I am dealing with a humanitarian crisis," said Adam Ali, a representative of the Embassy of Malawi in South Africa, at the Sherwood Hall park in Sydenham on Thursday.
Since Sunday, local community organisations have sponsored tents, mobile toilets and food for the displaced Malawians.
Ali expressed concern about the health risks of housing thousands of people in an area lacking adequate water and sanitation facilities.
He said he had made urgent requests for his fellow government officials to assist and witness first-hand the “humanitarian crises”.
Ali said his government is under pressure and he will approach organisations to assist with the transportation of the Malawians.
Displaced Malawian nationals from across Durban have made the Sherwood Hall park and Musjid-us-Saliheen grounds their temporary home after fleeing from anti-illegal immigration protests.
Image: Zainul Dawood
“My priority is to get the women and children home. Many women are pregnant, and these unhygienic conditions will make things worse. They are also stressed, and anything can happen. They fear going to the local hospitals in case they are attacked,” he said.
In the basement of Sherwood Hall, South African Department of Home Affairs Immigration officials have set up an office and are processing documentation.
“There are processes in place, but as soon as the first batch of documents is ready, we can, depending on sponsors, bus the women and children back to Malawi,” Ali said.
Next to the hall, ten mobile toilets are set against the embankment, with none of them cleaned since Monday. Behind a group of people, a woman used the lid of a 5-litre water bottle to pour water onto her two children.
She said she had no option because the tents were full and privacy, even for herself, was limited. A huge pile of dirt and discarded food has already building up next to the tents, with flies circulating while the stench of rotting food, hung in the air.
The situation has heightened concerns across South Africa following a June 30, deadline issued by anti-illegal immigration groups, the Insizwa Ngobunsizwa Development Foundation and March for March, demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country.
According to eThekwini Ward 30 DA councillor Warren Burne, the situation has become dire, and he is communicating with senior eThekwini officials on the matter. Burne said the crowds have swelled, and the erection of another tent could not contain the displaced Malawians and their luggage.
“I have requested for a skip bin to be placed here, but none has been forthcoming from the cleansing and solid waste unit. I must admire the Malawians' patience and their understanding of the situation.”
He explained that the number of displaced Malawians increased dramatically over a matter of days, with 75 people arriving by midnight on Sunday, 275 by Monday, 500 by Tuesday and approximately 2,500 by Wednesday.
Osman Bhoola, an interim Malawian community leader, said people armed with an assortment of weapons arrived at their doors in informal settlements, threatened their lives and told them to leave the country before June 30.
“We are grateful for the food and shelter that have been provided. People have to just wait now for the paperwork to be done and the buses to arrive. It has now become an unhealthy environment,” he said.
eThekwini ward councillor Warren Burne and Adam Ali (right) a representative of the Embassy of Malawi in South Africa, at the Sherwood Hall park in Sydenham on Thursday.
Image: Zainul Dawood
The SAPS's Public Order Policing Unit and Durban Metro Police are based at Sherwood Park.
On their Facebook page, the Malawi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said that they were aware of and had been following with keen interest reports of vigilante demonstrations and attacks on African migrants in some parts of South Africa.
The Ministry said they were assessing the situation and providing the necessary support to those affected.
Not directing any comments to the situation in Durban, the Malawi government stated it was commencing a voluntary repatriation exercise for Malawian Nationals who have requested logistical support for their return home. The post stated that a Malawi Task Team has been dispatched under the coordination of the Malawi High Commission in South Africa.
"The public will be informed of the final logistics of the repatriation exercise once all preparations have been completed and in accordance with requisite arrangements that ensure the safety and well-being of the nationals," the Ministry stated.
In the post they highlighted that two buses carrying 150 Malawian nationals departed Cape Town on June 6. The Malawian’s travelled by road, transiting through Zimbabwe and Mozambique and arrived in Malawi through the Mwanza Border Post, where they were processed before travelling to their respective local destinations.
Displaced Malawian women queue outside the Sherwood Hall in Durban waiting to be processed by Department of Home Affairs officials.
Image: Zainul Dawood