Durban police have launched an investigation into allegations that foreign nationals were assaulted and threatened at the Diakonia Council of Churches’s Diakonia Centre, where more than 300 migrants sought refuge after reportedly fleeing intimidation and violence in surrounding communities.
Tensions escalated on Thursday when anti-immigrant protesters gathered outside the central Durban facility, prompting police officers to form a human barrier between demonstrators and the displaced migrants. Authorities intervened after fears of violence intensified.
The Congolese Solidarity Campaign alleged that several migrants were assaulted during the unrest. Following the confrontation, buses transported the migrants to Department of Home Affairs offices for processing before they were relocated to a refugee centre, according to officials.
Many of those sheltering at the centre described living in fear amid growing hostility toward foreign nationals.
Agnes Jafari, who fled with her two-year-old daughter, said the situation has left her traumatised and unable to live normally.
“She can’t go to crèche anymore because where I’m staying, the situation is not good. I’m not safe there yet. On the streets, everyone is asking for papers,” she said.
Jafari added that asylum documentation issued by Home Affairs was being verified as part of the relocation process.
Another migrant, Bridget Chomachoma, said many foreign nationals have been unable to earn an income after being chased away from trading areas.
“We only sell a few things just to put food on our kids’ table. At the moment we can’t sell. Where we used to sell, they come and break our stuff and chase us out,” she said.
Chomachoma also raised concerns about threats allegedly directed at migrant children in schools.
“They are reminding us every day about what’s going to happen on 30 June — that no foreigner will be allowed to stay in South Africa,” she said.
According to Chomachoma, children have returned home distressed after classmates allegedly warned them they would no longer be allowed to attend school after that date.
Meanwhile, Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned attacks on foreign nationals, saying such acts do not represent government policy or the values of South Africans.
Speaking during the South Africa-Botswana Bi-National Commission Summit in Botswana this week, Ramaphosa called for stronger regional cooperation and peaceful coexistence.
“We need to work towards the seamless movement of our people in a predictable, coordinated, and secure manner,” Ramaphosa said. “As we deepen our collaboration, we must also work together to tackle transnational organised crime across our borders.”