"We Have No Choice": Durban Foreign Nationals Prepare for Lindela Repatriation Centre Move

• More than 100 foreign nationals have been camping outside Durban's Home Affairs offices on Che Guevara Road since May 2026
• The group was displaced from their homes and businesses ahead of the 30 June anti-illegal immigration protests
• The government gave the refugees two options, and group leader Gerrard Itabelo explained why they chose Lindela

DURBAN - More than 100 refugees who have spent over three months sleeping outside the Department of Home Affairs offices in Durban are preparing to relocate to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Gauteng.

The group has been camped on Che Guevara Road since May 2026, after reportedly being driven out of their homes and businesses in the weeks leading up to the 30 June anti-illegal immigration protests.

The relocation follows a tense few months marked by two confrontations with March and March demonstrators, one of which turned violent.

Why the refugees chose Lindela

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According to EWN, the government presented the displaced group with two paths forward: return to their communities in Durban or move to Lindela. Many said they would have preferred to stay in Durban, where they had spent years building their lives.

Group leader Gerrard Itabelo said the decision to accept the Lindela offer was ultimately about safety and access to basic services. He said the government had promised that children in the group would have access to schools, that families could use hospitals, and that their documentation would be assisted with renewals.

Itabelo also said the group had been assured they would not be confined to the facility and could move freely while continuing with their daily lives.

Refugees set to depart Durban early Tuesday

eThekwini Municipality Mayor Cyril Xaba had previously confirmed he would engage with the Department of Home Affairs to work out the travel and logistical arrangements required to move the group to Lindela. This after he addressed the crowd during the tense stand-off between March and March supporters, SAPS and the refugees camp in Moore Road.

The group is expected to leave Durban in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Their departure brings an end to months of uncertainty, during which they remained camped outside the Home Affairs offices while waiting for a lasting solution to be found.

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SA First Forum threatens court action over Durban refugee issue

Previously, Briefly News reported that Xolani Zuma of the SA First Forum threatened to take the government to court if Congolese nationals are given accommodation in Durban before victims of the April 2022 floods are housed. Zuma, the husband of Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, made the remarks on Che Guevara Road in Durban on 10 September 2026, where March and March held another demonstration. Jacinta went further in her post, challenging what she described as a double standard applied by authorities.

Source: Briefly News