GROUNDUP: Over 1,000 migrants flee Durban settlement after being ordered to leave

Immigrants, mostly from Malawi, chased from Burnwood have spent days camped in a field.

More than 1,000 immigrants, mostly from Malawi, have fled their homes in Burnwood informal settlement, Durban, after South African residents told them to leave on Sunday. Immigrants GroundUp spoke to said people had been interrogated about their nationality and some had been assaulted. Many fled without their belongings.

Hundreds of people have spent days camped out in the open in a field in nearby Sherwood. Humanitarian organisations have provided blankets, mattresses, food and supplies for babies. Volunteers have been cooking meals on open fires.

“I ran for my life after seeing a group of people approaching my shack,” said Ernest Machwela. “I took whatever I could carry and ran away with my wife and our [seven-month-old] child. The group was shouting, ‘Abahambe, abahambe!’, meaning we must go back home.

“Some were carrying sjamboks, golf sticks, and bush knives. It’s not easy to open a case because I escaped unharmed. We hope the South African government and police will help us so we can be safe.”

Jennifer Moses, who is seven months pregnant, said she had been in SA for four years.

“We were chased from our shack, and I fell while running away from the group. They were shouting, ‘Abahambe!’ and singing.”

Moses said she was stabbed and robbed two years ago by two men who took her bag with her passport.

Sydenham SAPS spokesperson Simo Joli said that on Sunday at about 8pm, about 10 intoxicated local men went to shacks in Burnwood settlement demanding that immigrants leave.

“Approximately 75 Malawian nationals initially sought refuge at the Sherwood grounds next to Sherwood Hall. Members of the local Muslim community provided meals and blankets. By Tuesday, 9 June, the number had increased to more than 1,000,” said Joli.

He said arrangements were being made with the immigration authorities and the Malawian embassy for repatriation.

eThekwini Metro Police spokesperson Colonel Boysie Zungu said: “It is going to be against the law to integrate those immigrants who don’t have proper documents into the community. Our Metro Police will patrol the area to keep them safe until they get repatriated back to their countries.”

Adam Ali, from the Malawian embassy’s disaster response team, said: “Most people told us they are ready to be repatriated because they no longer feel safe in SA. We are grateful for the humanitarian assistance, especially as many women are heavily pregnant. Security has also improved with the presence of police and private security. We expect the