The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and affiliates walk through the street of Cape Town as they embark on a nationwide strike to mark World Day of Decent Work, in Cape Town, South Africa, October 7, 2024. Image @ REUTERS/Esa Alexander
Riots broke out Wednesday at a makeshift repatriation camp in the South African coastal city of Durban, where thousands of Malawian nationals have been camped for over a week demanding to be sent home amid a widening xenophobic crisis gripping the country.
Public Order Police deployed stun grenades and rubber bullets against a crowd of frustrated Malawian nationals at the Sherwood Hall transit site, after many of the men refused to board vehicles that would take them to the Lindela Repatriation Centre rather than directly home. “No Lindela — we want to go home,” the migrants chanted as they ran through the streets.
More than 6,000 Malawians remain stranded at Sherwood Hall, with Malawi’s government estimating around 10,000 of its citizens require repatriation assistance overall. The government has appealed to the public for donations to fund the effort, acknowledging that “the scale and urgency of the operation have created unprecedented financial, logistical, and humanitarian demands.” “Government is resolute in its commitment to bring home every Malawian who wishes to return from South Africa,” it said.
The process was initially led by Malawian authorities facilitating voluntary repatriation, but South African authorities have since stepped in to accelerate deportations and clear the overcrowded site. A priority court, operating virtually under the Durban Magistrate’s Court, has been established by Home Affairs and Justice Department officials to fast-track immigration matters on site.
The chaos in Durban unfolded on the same day South Africa’s four biggest labour federations issued a stern warning to workers against joining anti-immigrant protests ahead of a June 30 deadline. The ultimatum was set by a private civilian group called “March and March,” formed in early 2025, which has threatened a total national shutdown and demanded the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals, despite the deadline carrying no legal weight.
COSATU, which represents around 2 million workers, joined SAFTU, FEDUSA and NACTU in warning that employees would not be protected if they failed to show up for work on June 30. “We urge workers to report for duty and not place their employment at risk,” the unions said in a joint statement.
SAFTU general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi, reading from the joint statement, said South Africa’s economic crisis was “rooted in economic stagnation, deindustrialisation, mass unemployment, corruption, austerity, weak governance and the failure to build an economy that serves the majority,” and not in the presence of migrants. The unions aligned themselves with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who on Tuesday called on South Africans not to scapegoat foreigners for the country’s problems. “Removing foreign nationals from workplaces, communities or public spaces will not reopen factories, repair municipalities, strengthen public healthcare or create sustainable jobs,” they said.
The anti-immigrant sentiment has been further fuelled by the country’s brutal 30 percent unemployment rate and crumbling public infrastructure. Some politicians have seized on the issue in recent months, blaming migrants for widespread poverty and crime in Africa’s largest economy, a country that has long drawn workers from across the continent due to its relatively more abundant job opportunities.
Ghana, Nigeria and Mozambique have also repatriated citizens in recent weeks as the xenophobic violence continues to spread.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah