Refugees and asylum seekers in Durban face mounting fears of violence ahead of a September 30 deadline issued by an anti-immigration movement. Months after fleeing their homes, hundreds of displaced migrants have been cleared from a makeshift pavement camp outside official government offices, leaving many divided over whether to accept relocation or return to danger.
Bishop Raphael Bahebwa knows what it means to seek refuge, having arrived in South Africa 26 years ago after fleeing the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But as an outspoken advocate for the rights of foreigners, he spent late September in hiding after receiving death threats for speaking publicly.
Bahebwa’s situation reflects a broader climate of anxiety gripping migrant communities across Durban. A looming September 30 ultimatum issued by the anti-immigration group March and March has stoked deep fears of renewed unrest. The movement has demanded that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country and warned of further demonstrations if authorities fail to act.
Life Outside the Durban Refugee Reception Centre
For roughly four months, the pavement outside the Durban Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road served as a makeshift home for hundreds of displaced people. Asylum seekers and refugees—many originating from the DRC and Burundi, alongside others from Uganda, Mozambique, and Tanzania—arrived seeking protection from the Department of Home Affairs, only to find themselves living in the open air.
Volunteers and civil society organizations stepped in to provide food and basic supplies, but conditions deteriorated rapidly. Migrants reported irregular access to food and essential medication. Tragically, one man suffering from tuberculosis died while living at the pavement encampment, though independent verification of the circumstances surrounding his death remains pending.
Clashes With March and March and Strained Police Responses
The makeshift camp offered little distance from the hostility its residents hoped to escape. On September 3, members of March and March confronted the refugees living outside the centre, touching off a violent clash that required police intervention and left at least four people injured. Days later, officers formed a physical barrier between the opposing groups as tensions flared during another protest.
March and March organizers have consistently rejected accusations of xenophobia, framing their mobilization as a campaign targeting undocumented migration, local crime, and declining community infrastructure. Leaders argue that government enforcement has proven inadequate.
Yet vulnerable communities state that hostility rarely begins with a request for identity papers. Earlier this year, six foreign nationals working in salons near Warwick Street Market were attacked with sticks by unknown men, resulting in two hospitalizations. Bahebwa alleged that when victims sought assistance, local law enforcement turned them away, telling reporters that police officers refused to open cases because the complainants were foreigners.
Government Clearance and the Lindela Detention Facility Choice
In mid-September, authorities moved to clear the pavement encampment, forcing displaced migrants into a difficult choice. Officials offered them either a return to the communities they had fled or temporary placement at the Lindela facility in Gauteng, located hundreds of kilometres away. Historically used for immigration detention and repatriation, Lindela’s reputation sparked immediate apprehension among many residents.
The community split over the directive. On September 15, 274 individuals boarded buses bound for the Gauteng facility, while approximately 150 others chose to remain in Durban to seek alternative shelter.
Leaving the pavement did not eliminate the underlying threats. Kafuti Muyumba, a small business owner and community representative from the DRC, noted that those who stayed behind remain terrified to reenter neighborhoods where they previously established their livelihoods, as local government elections scheduled for November 4 draw closer against a backdrop of intense political debate over migration.
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