In Durban, South Africa, tensions flared on Wednesday as migrants, predominantly from Malawi, clashed with police while staging a protest. The confrontation, which took place outside a community hall where migrants were awaiting deportation processing, saw authorities resorting to rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the crowd.
The demonstrators were not opposing deportation; rather, they were advocating for a swifter voluntary repatriation process. Frustration had mounted as about 10,000 individuals camped out in a nearby public park, enduring lengthy delays in their efforts to return home amidst growing anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa.
Malawi is among five African nations actively working to repatriate their citizens from South Africa, joining Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe in this endeavor. Many of these returning migrants have been provided with transportation, funded either by their home governments or by South Africa. To aid in this effort, Malawi initiated a public fundraising campaign this week, aiming to facilitate the return of approximately 10,000 migrants.
South African television networks aired footage of the protests, capturing scenes of migrants marching outside Sherwood Hall in Durban. The situation escalated as protesters hurled rocks and sticks at police attempting to control the demonstration.
A specific grievance voiced by the Malawian migrants was the disparity in processing times. Women and children were being expedited and sent directly back to Malawi, while men faced prolonged waits as they were redirected to another deportation center, prolonging their journey home.
Some eyewitnesses said the protest outside Sherwood Hall did not turn violent until Operation Dudula, an anti-migrant vigilante group, arrived on the scene and began scuffling with the Malawians:
According to South Africa’s Home Affairs Ministry, at least 1,876 of the migrants involved in the protest did not have valid documentation to be in South Africa.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa used a commemorative address on Tuesday to plead with his citizens to tamp down anti-migrant rhetoric.
“Addressing these challenges requires practical solutions, not the scapegoating of vulnerable people,” Ramaphosa said.
“Even as we recognize the challenge of illegal immigration – which we are taking decisive action to address – our problems are in the main our own problems. And which we have a responsibility to fix ourselves,” he said.
On Wednesday, four of South Africa’s biggest trade unions urged their members to stay out of anti-immigrant protests – especially on June 30, which has been set by anti-migration groups as a deadline for all illegal immigrants to leave the country.
“We urge workers to report for duty and not place their employment at risk,” the unions said.
“Removing foreign nationals from workplaces, communities or public spaces will not reopen factories, repair municipalities, strengthen public healthcare or create sustainable jobs,” they added.