Despite the official closure of the Durban Drive-In site, undocumented foreign nationals continue to arrive in search of assistance, with the Malawian Embassy confirming that nearly 800 migrants have already been transported from the site to the Musina Repatriation Centre in Limpopo.
The site was officially closed last week after serving as a temporary processing centre during a large-scale repatriation operation.
According to the eThekwini Municipality, more than 20,000 undocumented foreign nationals, the majority of them Malawian nationals, were processed during June.
The Malawian Embassy, together with humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers, has been coordinating transport for migrants who wish to return to their home countries.
Malawian Embassy official Adam Ali said he has been instructed to direct all newly arriving migrants to the Musina Repatriation Centre, where repatriation operations have now been centralised.
Speaking at the Durban Drive-In site on Sunday, Ali said the number of people arriving continues to increase, making it difficult to determine how many buses are needed.
He said that when he conducted an early morning headcount, there were 215 Malawian nationals and 71 Zimbabwean nationals at the site, but the figures had already risen by the afternoon as more people continued to arrive.
Ali added that it remains unclear when the situation will return to normal.
Meanwhile, the eThekwini Municipality has reiterated that the Durban Drive-In site is permanently closed and is no longer operating as a temporary repatriation facility.
The municipality has urged employers, transport operators and members of the public not to transport undocumented foreign nationals to the site, stressing that all repatriation processing is now being handled in Musina under the Department of Home Affairs.
It also emphasised that the management and repatriation of undocumented foreign nationals falls under the mandate of the Department of Home Affairs.