Hundreds of foreign nationals seeking to return to their home countries remain stranded at an overcrowded transit site in Durban as an unofficial 30 June departure deadline approaches.
The North Beach transit site, established to facilitate voluntary repatriation and reduce pressure on existing facilities, continues to receive buses transporting migrants. However, many of those at the site say they fear they will still be in South Africa once the deadline passes.
Despite assurances from the eThekwini Municipality that everyone at the transit centre will be processed, hundreds of people were still waiting on Monday morning. Many expressed frustration, saying they had spent several days at the site with little communication from officials regarding when they would be transported.
Authorities have begun relocating migrants from the Durban transit hub to a temporary repatriation centre in Musina, Limpopo, closer to the South African border.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the eThekwini Municipality confirmed that the transfer of Malawian nationals forms part of a resolution adopted by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration.
The municipality said the temporary transit site at North Beach will be decommissioned once operational arrangements have been finalised and all relocations have been completed.
"The municipality wishes to assure residents that the relocation is being undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Transport, the South African Police Service, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the process is conducted safely, orderly, humanely, and in accordance with the law," the municipality said.
The relocation forms part of broader efforts by government to manage the voluntary repatriation process while ensuring the safety and dignity of those returning to their countries of origin.