Health risks grow as thousands of displaced Malawians shelter at Durban park

Thousands of Malawians displaced by recent unrest are sheltering at Sherwood Hall park in Sydenham, Durban, where overcrowding and poor sanitation have raised urgent health concerns.

People seek refuge after threats

According to IOL, approximately 4,000 Malawians seeking voluntary repatriation have converged on the park from across Durban and surrounding areas after receiving threats from anti-illegal immigration groups moving through suburbs and informal settlements. Many arrived at the park on Sunday and numbers increased through the week.

Humanitarian response and sanitation worries

Local community organisations have provided basic relief at the site. Since Sunday, local community organisations have sponsored tents, mobile toilets and food for the displaced Malawians, according to IOL. Department of Home Affairs immigration officials have set up an office in the basement of Sherwood Hall to process documentation.

Officials and community representatives warned the temporary facilities are inadequate. Ten mobile toilets are set against the embankment, with none of them cleaned since Monday, IOL reported. A large pile of dirt and discarded food has accumulated next to the tents, attracting flies and producing a noticeable stench, IOL said.

Scenes at the park

Conditions at the site include limited privacy and scarce water. IOL described a woman pouring water onto her two children using the lid of a 5-litre water bottle because tents were full and privacy was limited. The reporting noted growing stress among those sheltering at the park.

Officials respond and repatriation efforts

Adam Ali, a representative of the Embassy of Malawi in South Africa, described the situation at the park, saying,

“I am dealing with a humanitarian crisis,”

and warned of the health risks of housing thousands of people in an area lacking adequate water and sanitation facilities. He said he had made urgent requests for assistance and that his government was under pressure to help with transportation.

Ali said Department of Home Affairs processes were under way and that, once documentation was ready, sponsored buses could transport women and children back to Malawi. Osman Bhoola, an interim Malawian community leader, said people armed with weapons had threatened residents in informal settlements and told them to leave before June 30. Bhoola said the environment at the park had become unhealthy and that people were waiting for paperwork and buses to arrive.

Numbers rose rapidly

According to IOL, the number of displaced Malawians at the park increased sharply over a few days: 75 people arrived by midnight on Sunday, 275 by Monday, 500 by Tuesday and approximately 2,500 by Wednesday.

Security presence and government comment

IOL reported that the SAPS’s Public Order Policing Unit and Durban Metro Police are based at Sherwood Park. The Malawi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it was monitoring reports of vigilante demonstrations and attacks on African migrants in parts of South Africa and was coordinating support. The Ministry also said a Malawi Task Team had been dispatched under the coordination of the Malawi High Commission in South Africa and that a voluntary repatriation exercise was commencing for Malawians who requested logistical support.

Local councillor describes urgent needs

eThekwini Ward 30 councillor Warren Burne said the situation had become dire and that he was communicating with senior eThekwini officials. Burne said crowds had swelled beyond the capacity of the tents and that requests for waste management support had not yet been fulfilled.

The immediate priorities at the site remain sanitation, safe water, medical attention and the processing of documentation to enable voluntary repatriation.