Overcrowding concerns in Durban camp as Malawians wait to be repatriated

Concerns are mounting about the conditions at Sherwood Hall in Durban, where thousands of Malawians are waiting to be returned home in fear of violence against foreigners in South Africa.

It is thought that up to 10 000 people have gathered at the makeshift camp.

Food, sanitation and cold weather

The overcrowding has raised concerns about whether there will be enough food and water, despite humanitarian organisations distributing them in the camp.

AFP report from earlier in the week stated that the few toilets are overwhelmed, with outbreaks of diarrhoea and the stench of urine and faeces hangs heavy.

The cold weather is also a worry. There aren’t enough tents to house everyone, with some women saying they have to sleep outside with their children during the winter nights.

In addition to long queues for sanitation and food, people are also tussling to get on the limited buses to take them to their home country.

“It is overcrowded here because everyone wants to get on the bus, and sometimes women with children get pushed as we compete to be first in line,” one woman told the SABC.

WATCH | Several Malawian women and children remain stranded at Sherwood Hall in Durban, with some spending days in queues waiting to board buses back home. Full report on the SABC News YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/vZs1RD07mx

— SABC News (@SABCNews)

June 19, 2026

On Wednesday, thousands of Malawians were moved to another camp in Durban to ease the congestion at Sherwood Hall. However, police used teargas and rubber bullets to quell an outburst when some men refused to be moved.

1 500 Malawians and Zimbabweans repatriated

More than 1 500 Malawian and Zimbabwean nationals were repatriated by the Border Management Authority (BMA) on Thursday morning.

“In the early hours of this morning, 17 buses arrived carrying a total of 1 129 Malawian nationals for repatriation. This represents the largest number of Malawian nationals processed by the BMA in a single day as part of a coordinated repatriation exercise,” said BMA Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Communications and Marketing Mmemme Mogotsi.

Mogotsi added that all the Malawians repatriated didn’t have the required documents to live in South Africa.

Many of the Malawians at Sherwood admitted they did not have valid papers, claiming they had been lured by syndicates promising jobs in factories, homes and mines.

Repatriated Malawians ‘finally feel safe’

Meanwhile, some of the hundreds of Malawians who returned home on Wednesday and Thursday say they “finally feel safe”.

This comes as the March and March movement’s 30 June 2026 deadline looms.

This is the date on which members of the March and March and other South Africans are expected to protest against illegal immigration in the country.

Additional reporting by AFP