March and March calls for action over Durban Home Affairs pavements

Posted on September 10, 2026
by Yashmika Dukaran


March and March is calling on the eThekwini Municipality to enforce its bylaws and clear pavements outside the Home Affairs offices on Moore Road in Durban.

Members of the organisation returned to the site, where a group of mostly Congolese foreign nationals has been camping since leaving their homes in the city in May.

The migrants initially sought refuge at the Durban Central Police Station, telling officers they feared for their safety and needed protection from anti-immigrant residents.

They later moved to the Diakonia Centre in central Durban, where they stayed for several days before relocating to the Home Affairs offices.

March and March spokesperson Sandile Dube says the foreign nationals should either be moved to designated areas or repatriated if they are found to be in the country illegally.

The organisation is also calling on KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli to speed up efforts to repatriate undocumented migrants.

Dube says the matter has gone on for too long and needs urgent action.

“We're saying to the Premier it needs to be done as soon as yesterday. It's been a very long time that situation [has been that way],” Dube said.

He also criticised comments about integrating migrants into society, saying the proposal had faced opposition from some members of the public who do not want undocumented foreign nationals reintegrated into communities.

March and March says authorities should take decisive action to resolve the situation and ensure that municipal bylaws are enforced.