Mmamoloko Kubayi, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development (centre), is flanked by, from left, eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Njabulo Nzuza, Cassim Malani -World Memon Organisation, Abdul Valodia-Overport Ratepayers Association and eThekwini councillor Warren Burne. Officials inspected the Sherwood Park in Durban were displaced Malawians have gathered.
Image: Zainul Dawood
The Department of Home Affairs's National Immigration Branch is set to double its staff at Sherwood Park, Durban, to enhance support for displaced Malawians seeking assistance.
Approximately 4,000 Malawians seeking voluntary repatriation have converged on the park since Sunday. They arrived from across Durban and surrounding areas after receiving threats from anti-illegal immigration groups moving through suburbs, businesses and informal settlements demanding that undocumented migrants leave the country by June 30.
Immigration officials arrived on Wednesday and were manually recording Malawian nationals' details, noted as a long and tedious process.
On Thursday, they were moved to a room below the hall, where they had to endure the heat, the smell of rotting food from piles of rubbish, and dust from a pile of wooden planks dumped in bags nearby, which hindered access to the room. The planks are being used to make fires for cooking and to keep the displaced warm during the winter night.
The national language in Malawi is Chichewa, which was another factor delaying the manual documentation process.
Osman Bhoola, an interim Malawian community leader, said he was acting as an interpreter to help home affairs officials expedite the process.
"Life has become difficult for the women and children here. Some of the women are pregnant, and children are getting sick. Staff at the government hospital in the area are helpful, and some are not. We are grateful for the help that we have received,” he said.
On Thursday night, senior officials from the Department of Home Affairs inspected the site and decided to bring in more resources and staff to assist. Thus far, officials had manually recorded the details of 250 Malawian nationals.
Mmamoloko Kubayi, the minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, assured Adam Ali, a representative of the Embassy of Malawi in South Africa, that he would receive the full support required to expedite the process.
Ali, who has been on the ground, expressed concern about the health risks of housing thousands of people in an area lacking adequate water and sanitation facilities.
Kubayi said they have received a full report on the matter.
She said arrangements for the buses were being finalised. On site, Kubayi told the media to let the process take its course to determine the status of the displaced community. She said immigration problems are global and not only confined to South Africa.
Kubayi led an inter-ministerial delegation to Durban to assess and intervene in the situation involving foreign nationals currently camping outside Home Affairs offices on Che Guevara Road and in Sherwood.
"Government has no intention of establishing refugee camps in South Africa," she said.
She urged legally documented foreign nationals to reintegrate into their communities, while those who are unwilling to return to their places will be sent to Lindela Repatriation Centre in Johannesburg for processing.
eThekwini Municipality mayor, Cyril Xaba, accompanied the minister during the visit and indicated that the city stands ready to facilitate the repatriation of those wishing to return to their home countries, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders.
eThekwini Ward 30 DA councillor Warren Burne hoped that the situation would improve on Friday, following the meeting on Thursday.
Burne said three skip bins arrived on Friday night. Burne said this was an intense process, and officials have to distinguish between reparations and deportations of undocumented foreigners.
Concerns existed about the fluctuating number of people on the grounds. There were concerns that some were working during the day, and other Malawian nationals were still staying in the suburbs nearby.
On Facebook, the Malawi Government stated that efforts to repatriate its citizens continue at Lindela Repatriation Centre. Chief Secretary to the Government, Dr. Justin Saidi, said the government would continue providing transit and consular support to Malawians displaced in South Africa.
Saidi said 171 Malawians arrived from SA at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Tuesday. He said President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika is concerned with what is happening in South Africa
Burne explained that the number of displaced Malawians increased dramatically over a matter of days: 75 people arrived by midnight on Sunday, 275 by Monday, approximately 500 by Tuesday, 2,500 by Wednesday and 4,000 by Friday.
Since Sunday, local community organisations have sponsored tents, mobile toilets and food for the displaced Malawians. On Friday, additional mobile toilets were brought in and the existing ones were cleaned. Stacks of luggage and goods could be seen outside the tents and under the trees, watched closely by their owners. Government officials were concerned about how these items would fit onto the buses.
Thamsanqa Ntuli the KwaZulu-Natal Premier, met a delegation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Thursday to address issues pertaining to immigration and related challenges. He said the engagement formed part of the government’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation, promoting social cohesion, and advancing sustainable development.
The SAPS's Public Order Policing Unit and Durban Metro Police are stationed at Sherwood Park.