South Africa: Home Affairs Relocates KZN Asylum Seekers, Refugees

What the report says

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs said it has relocated 274 asylum seekers and refugees from outside its office on Che Guevara Road in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, after consultations with affected communities and other stakeholders. The move took place on Tuesday, 15 September, and the group was taken to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, Gauteng.

According to the department, 278 people had initially agreed to the transfer, but four changed their minds before departure. Home Affairs said the relocated group included people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Uganda, Mozambique and Ghana. Law enforcement officers escorted the transfer, and the area around the Durban office was cleared in line with municipal bylaws and to help maintain public order.

The article says the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration had offered the displaced communities a choice between returning to their areas of residence or relocating to Lindela. After consultations, relocation was selected. The development follows earlier government criticism of sporadic violence reported at the Durban site and broader statements that immigration management and law enforcement remain state responsibilities.

More broadly, Lindela is a well-known repatriation centre used by South African authorities in immigration enforcement and processing, which helps explain why the relocation is significant in the context of ongoing pressure around migration, service access and public order in Durban.