A group of about 2 500 Malawian nationals from various informal settlements have gathered outside the Sherwood Hall in Durban.
A representative of the Malawian community in the city, Matthew Kadwala, alleges threats and violence have increased recently, with some people saying all foreign nationals must leave by the 30th of June.
Kadwa says everyone wants to return to Malawi for their safety.
Meanwhile, some residents from Sherwood, together with humanitarian organisations, are providing food and shelter to the foreign nationals who have gathered outside the hall.
Gift of the Needy volunteer, Shahzaadee Khan, says the number of displaced people has drastically increased since Tuesday.
“At the end of the day, they are still people, they still do have rights, they still do need food, they still do need shelter. There are babies and there are mothers here, they have been victimised, they have been forced out of their homes, they have been under violent person persecution, and they have come here for a safe haven. How can we as a community not step up and help them? Whether they are foreigners or not, they are still humans at the end of the day.”
Meanwhile, a representative of the Malawian consulate, Adam Ali, says the documentation and processing of the displaced foreign nationals at Sherwood in Durban has begun.
Ali says the Malawian authorities will verify the identities of those affected and hopes arrangements will be made to facilitate their repatriation within three to four days.
“According to the situation there, they have been given a deadline in that everyone must leave, they must go… As I’m talking to you, some of them – the guys – have been poked and they’ve got someone who’s in the hospital but anyway they are recovering in the hospital. So that is why everyone is running for their lives – they need just to go back home.”
