Tensions escalated outside the Diakonia Centre on Thursday after a confrontation broke out between a group of refugees and supporters of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party and civic movement March and March.
More than 100 people, most of them believed to be Congolese nationals, spent a second night at the centre after seeking refuge over fears for their safety amid ongoing protests against undocumented migrants in Durban.
The situation, which had remained relatively calm earlier in the day, turned confrontational when groups of people rushed toward a small gathering of MK Party and March and March supporters gathered near the centre.
Witnesses said shouting and profanities were exchanged in the middle of the road, with one woman affiliated with March and March heard telling a foreign national to “go home”.
Officers from eThekwini Metro Police intervened to restore calm as tensions mounted.
Officials from the Department of Home Affairs also arrived at the centre to meet representatives from the KwaZulu-Natal Premier’s Office.
March and March member Nhlanhla Mqadi said the confrontation began after members of the group questioned a man about bringing a young child into the volatile environment.
“He's a foreign national, by my judgment. So I asked him, ‘Why are you bringing a young child here? A girl, for that matter. How you wanna protect this child here if anything happens?’” Mqadi said.
He claimed confusion broke out after people mistakenly believed an altercation was taking place between activists and foreign nationals.
Later in the afternoon, Cyril Xaba arrived at the scene to cheers and calls for peace, after which the atmosphere became calmer.
The two local groups remained on one side of the street singing and dancing, while the foreign nationals observed quietly from across the road.
It is understood that Xaba joined a meeting with Home Affairs officials and representatives from the Premier’s Office as authorities continued efforts to manage the situation.
Additional law enforcement officers, including a Casspir vehicle, were deployed to monitor the area as tensions remained high.