Refugee leader says more than 120 remain camped outside Durban Home Affairs after alleged evictions

More than 120 refugees and asylum seekers remain camped outside the Che Guevara Road Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre in Durban as they wait for further processes and urgent assistance, refugee leader Bishop Raphael Bahebwa told IOL.

Who is at the site and why they are there

Bishop Raphael Bahebwa, 51 years old and originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, described a group that has been at the Durban site for nearly four weeks. He said those still camped outside the reception centre were people who had “lost everything” and had nowhere else to turn.

Bahebwa told IOL he counted between 121 and 130 people remaining outside the reception centre on the morning he spoke. He said many others had left after leaders encouraged them to return to their communities because peace had allegedly been restored, but that “those who lost everything are the ones remaining here.”

Allegations of eviction and threats of transfer

According to Bahebwa, municipal officials allegedly visited the group two weeks ago and informed them they would have to leave the area. He said the officials presented two options: reintegrate into surrounding communities or vacate the site, and that those unwilling to leave would allegedly be taken to the Lindela Repatriation Centre, a Gauteng detention facility.

Bahebwa further said the situation worsened after some refugees tried to return to their communities. “When they told us to leave, 17 of our people were stabbed, their belongings were taken away, and their jobs were destroyed, including those who worked in salons,” he alleged.

Documentation, verification and requests for support

Bahebwa said that after authorities verified the group’s documentation, many expected to be provided with temporary accommodation rather than being left on the street. “After verification, they found that we are documented. We simply expect that they will provide us with temporary shelter, especially because many people are worried about June 30 this month,” he said.

He appealed to government departments and humanitarian organisations for intervention, requesting temporary shelter and social assistance while the group awaits hearings with the UN. He said these measures would help vulnerable families rebuild as their cases are processed.

Broader concerns and outside responses

The date of June 30 was noted by Bahebwa as a source of concern because it has gained prominence through campaigns by anti-illegal immigration groups calling for undocumented foreign nationals to leave South Africa.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, issued a public condemnation of escalating xenophobic violence in South Africa, saying:

“It is profoundly heartbreaking to witness another surge of xenophobic violence in South Africa this week. Hundreds have marched on Parliament, thousands of families have been displaced, and lives have been tragically cut short.”

He also warned of rising casualties and displacement and said such violence represented a betrayal of shared continental history.

Relief efforts and acknowledgements

Bahebwa expressed gratitude to organisations that have continued to provide humanitarian relief to those camped outside the reception centre. He thanked Palestine Solidarity and Presbyterian churches for remaining committed to providing food and support during what he described as an extremely difficult period.

He reiterated the group’s need for temporary shelter, financial and social support while they await further processes.