Sherwood Hall: Tensions flare as humanitarian crisis deepens
Adam Ali from Malawi Embassy, had his T-shirt torn after a group of men were loaded into a Department of Home Affairs van in his absence.
CHAOS ensued at the Sherwood Hall migrant camp this morning (June 17) after a group of men were loaded into a Department of Home Affairs van, allegedly for processing, leading to violent clashes with the police.
Stun grenades had to be fired to disperse the rioting crowd which threw stones and marched toward the police. Adam Ali from Malawi Embassy Disaster Management, who had his T-shirt torn and a stone thrown at his head, said he had just arrived when he was met with the violent group that was protesting.
“At the time I did not know what was happening but soon found out that some men were being taken inside a Home Affairs van to go to court,” said Ali.
“As the van was going out they began to stone the vehicle and the driver had to abandon the vehicle and run for safety.”
While police worked on calming the situation, a humanitarian crisis developed inside the camp with two women collapsing.
This morning, the eThekwini Municipality issued a statement saying that they are engaging senior government stakeholders to unlock bottlenecks and expedite the process of deporting the thousands of undocumented Malawian nationals at Sherwood Hall.
“The process was initially led by Malawian authorities, who were facilitating voluntary repatriation. However, after it became evident that progress was slower than anticipated, the South African Government assumed responsibility and initiated a formal deportation process,” said the City.
Under South African immigration laws, deportation requires each undocumented foreign national to be processed individually. This includes identity verification, the issuing of the necessary legal documentation, and appearance before a court to ensure compliance with due process and the protection of constitutional rights.
“To accelerate the process, one court has already been established at the Sherwood site. Mayor [Cyril] Xaba is engaging the Department of Justice to establish two additional courts dedicated exclusively to processing these matters. This intervention is intended to increase capacity and expedite the handling of cases,” said the City.
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