Public Order Police deployed stun grenades and rubber bullets on Wednesday to disperse a group of disgruntled Malawian nationals at the Sherwood Hall transit site in Durban after tensions flared over the repatriation process.
The protesters, many of them men, refused to board vehicles that would transport them either to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Gauteng or to temporary accommodation along Durban's beachfront.
The group says they are frustrated by what they perceive as unequal treatment, claiming that women and children have been prioritised for repatriation to Malawi while some men are being told they will instead be taken to Lindela pending further immigration processes.
"We have been told to go to Malawi, so why are they not taking us to Malawi now?" one protester asked.
"They are putting us inside vans instead of putting us in buses."
The situation escalated when some members of the crowd, armed with rocks, sticks and tree branches, began chanting and throwing stones and bottles at police officers.
Authorities say the Sherwood Hall site has exceeded its capacity and can no longer accommodate the growing number of Malawian nationals awaiting processing and repatriation. Officials are therefore attempting to relocate some of the occupants to alternative facilities while immigration procedures continue.
The Department of Justice has confirmed that at least 1,876 of the approximately 7,000 Malawian nationals currently at the site have been found to be undocumented or to be residing illegally in South Africa.
To speed up the processing of immigration cases, government has established a virtual priority court dedicated to matters arising from the Sherwood Hall operation.
Meanwhile, the Malawian government has appealed for donations to assist with the repatriation and reintegration of its citizens returning home.
Authorities have urged calm as efforts continue to process and repatriate those who wish to return voluntarily while dealing with immigration matters involving undocumented individuals.