Today (Saturday, June 20) two 5000-capacity marquees began housing thousands of male Malawian nationals, bussed in from Sherwood Hall.

The new camp is aimed at alleviating pressure from Sherwood, where over 13 000 Malawians had taken refuge.

Also read: Video: Repatriation to Malawi commences from Sherwood camp

The Drive-inn site would serve as a staging site to expedite deportation and repatriation processes.

Although humanitarian aid has not completed their set-up, queues of immigrants with their belongings cover the Drive-inn Site in North Beach. Access to the site is visibly restricted, in line with Mayor Cyril Xaba’s promise of safety to the residents of the area.

eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has assured that the campaign is temporary, citing June 30 as the last day of its operation.

“The South African government, working together with the Malawian High Commission, is making significant progress in ensuring that Malawian nationals who have remained at the Sherwood site for extended periods are repatriated and deported in an orderly and humane manner,” Xaba said.

To date, close to 4000 people have reportedly been deported or repatriated, and the South African government has made available 20 busses to expedite repatriation.

The Sherwood site will remain operational.

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