In Durban, refugees moved to Lindela Centre and city park
In Durban, South Africa, authorities relocated refugees and asylum seekers who had been living since May 22 on the pavement near the Department of Home Affairs office on Che Guevara Road. Five buses transported 274 men, women and children, along with their belongings, to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, Gauteng province. Another about 200 people who did not want to travel to Gauteng were moved to Stella Park in the Glenwood area.
As TimesLIVE reports, those living on the pavement were mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. After the people were relocated, municipal workers cleared rubbish, bedding and other items left behind.
Migration committee decision
Spokesperson Ndlleka Kola said that an interdepartmental migration committee approved the relocation after some people agreed to go to Lindela. According to her, the duration of the group's stay at the centre has not yet been determined. The government also plans to continue discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on possible options for resettlement in another country.
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The head of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial unit of the Department of Home Affairs, Cyril Mnkwabe, said that after screening, the people who settled near the office in May were recognized as documented asylum seekers and refugees. They were offered two options: reintegration into communities or relocation to Lindela. He added that the department is ready to consider assistance for those with verified documents who are currently in Stella Park.
Refugees' position and activists' demands
Group representative Raphael Bahebwa said that people who refused to travel to Lindela had not received clarity about their future. He also claimed that refugees had faced attacks and threats from the March and March movement and other individuals, while authorities threatened to evict them from the street. According to him, the group includes children attending local schools, which was one of the reasons for refusing to move to Gauteng.
The March and March movement had previously demanded that the municipality remove the people from the pavement, citing violations of local rules. Movement representative Xolani Zuma said the organization could go to court if the refugees were not also removed from Stella Park. During a clash on September 3, police used tear gas and rubber bullets; at least three people were injured and one person was detained.
