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DURBAN - Efforts to repatriate undocumented Malawian nationals in an orderly way are under strain from a steady stream of new arrivals, leaving local Home Affairs officials struggling to keep control.
Home Affairs KwaZulu-Natal Manager Cyril Mncwabe called the Durban Drive-in site a ‘bottomless pit’. With no cut-off date, he said authorities are constantly forced to absorb new groups of people to avoid public disorder in busy tourist areas.
On Monday, Mncwabe said they were continuing with processing people as they did at the Sherwood site.
“We have already dispatched about 11 buses that are currently on site and nine of those buses have already left. We are continuing until such time, whatever time, we may be able to stop. However, we’re trying to push as much as possible to create space for the people who are still coming into the site, who were not part of Sherwood,” he said. He said people are being dropped off outside the site by e-hailing vehicles and others.
“Those people we have to also consider assisting. But we thought it’s gonna be important for us to start by clearing the people who were moved from Sherwood who are already on this site,” Mncwabe said. “The challenge that we will always have is that we are working on a bottomless pit here.’’
Undocumented Malawians at the Durban Drive-in site, where local authorities are working on repatriation efforts. (Courtesy pics)