Durban Mayor Says 300 Migrants Cleared as Legal, Only 1 Illegal : SA Not Convinced

• eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba says 300 foreign nationals in Durban have been verified as legally residing in South Africa, with only one found to be in the country illegally and arrested
• The verification process is taking place at a designated processing centre after migrants were moved from the Diakonia Centre for documentation checks.
• Despite the mayor’s update, many South Africans have expressed scepticism online, questioning how such a large group could be verified in a short period of time

DURBAN - eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has declared that 300 foreign nationals have been verified in Durban, with only one person found to be in South Africa illegally and subsequently arrested today.

South Africans, however, are not convinced by the announcement, questioning how authorities were able to complete the verification process so quickly for such a large group.

The group has been camped at the Diakonia Centre since Tuesday, 19 May 2026, after being moved there while protesting outside the Durban Central Police Station. They claimed they fear for their lives in the communities where they live.

Read also

"Are white South Africans still racist?"American teacher shocked after Afrikaner student encounter

Xaba updates South Africans on processes at the Diakonia Centre

Prior to the announcement, Cyril Xaba said migrants sheltering in the Durban CBD, including those at the Diakonia Centre, were being moved to a designated refugee processing centre where Home Affairs officials would verify their documentation.

This came after the foreign nationals at the centre insisted on proving their legal status in an effort to distance themselves from undocumented immigrants, whom they claimed were responsible for tensions between the immigrant community and South Africans.

Xaba added that individuals found to be in the country without valid papers will be deported in line with immigration procedures.

See a video of the Durban Mayor giving an update about the verification process:

South Africans weigh in

Posts circulating on social media, however, show the majority of South Africans are sceptical about the announcement from the mayor.

@S81756 said:

"That is the fastest Home Affairs has registered these foreigners as asylum seekers in history. Who approved their asylum papers? And what wars are they running from? And what are they given to stay in SA?"

Read also

Tensions erupt at Diakonia Centre as MK Party and March and March members confront foreign nationals

@MoviePlugshz said:

"Only 1 out of 300 illegal? In less than 2 hours? Come on, Mayor. South Africans aren’t stupid we see the daily reality on the ground."

@BrianG43337 said:

"Home affairs, apparently, said it would take some time, now this? When has Home Affairs started working this efficiently? So fast? Their workers are definitely at home now."

@TumiN56597 said:

"Migration needs to have limitations; one can't celebrate this two-minute outcome! Limitations: we can't house the whole of Africa."

@ReighNay said:

"This is a lie!! I hope they aren’t documenting them while telling us they’re verifying their documents."

Tension escalated outside the Diakonia centre

Previously, Briefly News reported that tensions escalated outside the Diakonia Centre in Durban as members of the MK Party and the March and March movement gathered at the site where hundreds of foreign nationals have been camping for the past few days. The situation became increasingly volatile as activists from the two groups arrived at the centre, with shouts of “Abahambe” ringing out as individuals from both sides reportedly threatened to fight.

Source: Briefly News