Violence erupts between police and Malawians in Durban

DURBAN – Public Order Police had to deploy stun grenades and rubber bullets to a crowd of disgruntled Malawian nationals camped at the Sherwood Hall transit site in Durban on Wednesday.

The Malawian nationals, many of them men, were refusing to be transported to the Lindela Repatriation Centre or move to the Durban beach front.

They say their frustration is that the women and children have been allowed to leave on buses to send them home while authorities have told them some of the men will be taken to the Lindela Repatriation Centre instead of their home country.

But authorities say the site at Sherwood Hall was beyond capacity and cannot hold the growing number of Malawians waiting to be processed and repatriated.

They want the group to move to a different location.

READ | 1 876 Malawians at Durban transit site undocumented, processing continues

“We have been told to go to Malawi, why are they not taking us to Malawi now,” one of the men said.

“They are putting us inside vans instead of putting us in busses.”

The angry group carrying rocks, sticks and tree branches were chanting and pelting the police with stones and bottles. 

The Justice Department said at least 1 876 of the 7, 000 Malawian nationals camped at the site have been found to be undocumented or otherwise illegally in the country. A virtual priority court has been set up to fast-track immigration process.

The Malawian government has also appealed for donations to support the repatriation of its nationals.