As the 30 June 2026 immigration deadline approaches, hundreds of migrants have been enduring prolonged conditions outside the Department of Home Affairs’ Durban Refugee Reception Office in Glenwood, KwaZulu-Natal, where anxiety and uncertainty remain constant.
Many foreign nationals are reporting little clarity on their legal status or what comes next as enforcement pressure intensifies in different provinces.
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According to IOL, some immigrants say that they have been left without clear protection or official guidance and claim they are anxious about possible threats of violence linked to the deadline.
The situation in the country right now has both a humanitarian and spiritual crisis, displacing many foreign families in different parts of the country.
What is the City doing about the situation?
The mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Cyril Xaba, has made an urgent appeal to the Minister of Home Affairs to intervene and relocate groups of foreign nationals currently camping outside the department’s Durban offices.
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The group is said to be sleeping on the streets after they were moved from the Diakonia Centre in the Durban CBD last week. Over 100 people had camped at the Home Affairs centre seeking refuge because they feared for their lives.
Some of the groups were eventually taken by the authorities to a Home Affairs facility on Moore Road, Durban, for official processing last week, but there are still many more groups left at the centre.
The mayor of Durban City had said to be prepared to deploy resources, including transport and Metro Police, to ensure a safe, orderly relocation once the Minister identifies suitable refugee facilities.
Image: X / @zoomafrika1
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