Foreign nationals are waiting for buses at the Durban Drive-in repatriation site following its closure.
Image: Tumi Pakkies
With the closure of the Durban Drive-In repatriation site, over 100 foreign nationals face uncertainty as they await transport to a new processing centre in Musina, Limpopo."
The tents which were erected by the City have been removed, leaving those still waiting for transportation in limbo as to when they will leave.
The site was covered in litter on Tuesday morning.
According to eThekwini Municipality, over 15,000 individuals were processed through the Durban Drive-In site before operations were relocated to Musina.
“The government further accelerated the process by extending the jurisdiction of the Musina Refugee Reception Office near the Beitbridge Border Post to undertake verification and processing.
“In partnership with the Government of Malawi, the United Nations, and the International Organisation for Migration, all logistical arrangements were put in place to facilitate the onward repatriation of Malawian nationals,” the municipality said in a statement issued last night,” the municipality’s communications unit said in a statement last night.
Clean-up operations are underway at the Durban Drive-In site
Image: Tumi Pakkies
Musina will now serve as another temporary repatriation processing centre, enabling the repatriation operation to continue while the temporary Durban Drive-In site has been closed and its infrastructure dismantled.
The municipality said yesterday that they were preparing to decommission and close the temporary site once all remaining individuals have been transported.
Buses continue to arrive, load passengers, and depart for Musina at regular intervals as the coordinated repatriation operation nears completion.