Malawians recount fear and loss at Durban’s Sherwood Hall shelter

Fleeing Clare Estate in the night

According to IOL, many of those at Sherwood Hall fled their homes in Clare Estate during the night, leaving behind their belongings and livelihoods as concerns for their safety increased. The displaced told reporters they left in haste after receiving threats.

Violence erupted between police and a group of Malawian migrants, described as unruly, who are demanding immediate repatriation and insisting on bypassing established processes. https://t.co/vwosM1qBoJ
📷: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers#police #Malawian #migrants… pic.twitter.com/Fjzbgo8wFx

IOL News (@IOL) June 17, 2026

Personal accounts from the shelter

Shaffe Raja, 40, arrived at Sherwood Hall with his two daughters, Grace, 6, and Brenda, 3.

“We thought we still had time to pack and leave. However, our lives were threatened, and we had to leave in a hurry. We left all of our belongings in the house we were renting,”

Raja told the Post, according to IOL. The article reports Raja has lived in South Africa since 2018 and said he could not afford to return to Malawi.

Delivery driver Limbani Jeleni, 35, told IOL he had planned to leave after June 30 but was forced to move earlier. He said a bus trip to Malawi costs about R3,000 and said:

“We meant to leave, but we were waiting for June 30. We were told by people we knew in Clare Estate that we had to leave and could no longer stay there,”

and that he wanted to send his wife back first.

Factory worker Martha Kennedy, 25, told IOL the threats forced her to plan an exit. Kennedy, who has a seven‑month‑old son, said she was relying on assistance at Sherwood Hall:

“We are lucky to be in Sherwood, where people are helping us. Otherwise I would fear for my life,”

IOL reported.

Eunice Aligundia, 35, said she “had to leave everything behind and run in the middle of the night. I did not know where to go until I was told about the Sherwood grounds,” according to IOL. She pleaded for time to make arrangements to return home.

Chef Frank Martin Vuma, 39, told IOL he entered South Africa in 2015 and had worked as a chef. He said his documents were stolen after his home was robbed while he lived in Cape Town and that he now had no money to return to Malawi.

Humanitarian concerns at the grounds

According to IOL, as more displaced foreign nationals arrive at Sherwood Hall, concerns remain over accommodation, sanitation, food supplies and transport costs for those hoping to return home. The article highlights rising needs among those sheltering at the grounds.

Uncertain departures

The IOL reporting presents a picture of families and individuals who left rapidly amid threats and now face practical and financial barriers to returning to Malawi. Several named sources emphasised both the loss of possessions and the difficulty of financing travel home.

Local organisations, authorities and longer‑term solutions were not detailed in the IOL account.