Home Affairs Begins Repatriation of KZN Asylum Seekers

The Department of Home Affairs has begun relocating asylum seekers and refugees outside its offices on Che Guevara Road in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. In a statement on Tuesday, the department said the relocation began at 5 am as directed by the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration. "A total of 278 individuals will be transferred to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, following engagements with relevant stakeholders and representatives of the affected communities. These engagements resulted in an agreement to proceed with the relocation. "The IMC presented the displaced communities with two options: returning to their areas of residence or relocating to Lindela. Following a series of consultations, the option of relocation to Lindela was agreed upon," the department explained. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Law enforcement officers are escorting the group during the relocation process while Che Guevara Road has been cleared to ensure compliance with municipal bylaws and to maintain public order. In addition, Gift of the Givers has secured food parcels to support the individuals during the relocation. "Government will continue discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding possible options to resettle the group in another country," said the department. Last week, government condemned sporadic acts of violence at Che Guevara Road in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, emphasising that immigration management and law enforcement are the sole responsibility of the state. READ | Government condemns sporadic violence at Che Guevara in KwaZulu-Natal "We condemn the sporadic acts of violence such as we have seen at Che Guevara in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal recently. We reiterate our fervent stance that immigration management and the concomitant law enforcement remain solely the responsibility of government and nobody else," said Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi at a media briefing of the IMC on Migration on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. In a statement on Friday, KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said the provincial government remains "committed to promoting social cohesion, upholding the rule of law and ensuring that matters involving immigration and community safety are addressed through the appropriate legal and administrative processes." Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Read the original article on SAnews.gov.za . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.