"We Want To Reintegrate": Durban Refugees Who Rejected Lindela Move Seek To Rebuild Their Lives

• Hundreds of foreign nationals had been living on Durban's pavements since May after fleeing their homes ahead of anti-immigration protests
• More than 200 refugees accepted relocation to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, but about 100 others refused to leave Durban
• Those who stayed behind said tensions had eased and they were determined to return to their communities and restart their former lives

DURBAN - About 100 refugees and asylum seekers in Durban have turned down a government plan to relocate them to Gauteng, insisting they want to remain in the city where they built their lives.

The group had been living on pavements along Che Guevara Road since May 2026. They fled their homes before the 30 June anti-illegal immigration protests and had been stranded on the streets ever since.

On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, more than 200 people from the group boarded transport to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp. The roughly 100 who remained behind have since taken shelter at a park in Glenwood while they wait to be placed in an NGO facility.

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Refugees refuse to leave Durban behind

For those who stayed, the decision was deeply personal. Congolese refugee Eddie Muyumba, who came to Durban as a child, said the city was the only home he had ever truly known as an adult and he could not see himself living anywhere else.

Speaking to EWN, Makombe Marjole made clear that their goal was never to stay in a park but to return to the communities they were driven out of. He described losing his small hairdressing business when the unrest began.

"Me, I was cutting hair; I had a tent, they chased me, and I lost everything. To reintegrate means I need to start my old life, the life I was living, peacefully," Marjole said.

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The group's appeal to the public

Marjole said those remaining were patient and committed to a peaceful return.

"We are waiting now; we are going to stay here and try to integrate again," he said.

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The group has also called on residents not to attack them when they eventually move back to their former neighbourhoods. They say that with tensions in the city having eased, conditions are improving for a calm reintegration.

Refugee leader in hiding after threats

Previously, Briefly News reported that Bishop Raphael Bahebwa, the religious leader and spokesperson for a group of displaced refugees camped outside the Department of Home Affairs on Che Guevara Road in Durban, says he is in hiding. Bahebwa said that he was forced to go into hiding after receiving serious threats against his life. The threats come as the refugee community he represents faces mounting pressure from anti-immigration groups and government deadlines.

Source: Briefly News