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The mayor of Durban, Cyril Xaba, has ordered the transfer of Nigerian and other African nationals to a screening centre to verify their legal status amid rising anti-foreigner sentiment across South Africa.
Buses carrying foreign nationals were seen leaving the Diakonia Centre in Durban’s central business district on Thursday, escorted by law enforcement officials.
The migrants were taken to a designated refugee reception facility where immigration documents were formally processed.
Videos of the operation circulated widely on social media, triggering reactions both locally and internationally.
Confirming the incident, President of the Nigerian Union South Africa, Smart Nwobi, said the relocation was driven by mounting pressure from local residents.
However, he noted that municipal authorities succeeded in preventing the situation from escalating into violence.
South African media reported that the screening followed a recent finding by the Department of Home Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal that only two out of 457 migrants processed in a separate exercise possessed valid legal documentation.
The department said one of the two had a fraudulent permit, while the other had received a rejection letter for a permit application.
“Once you have received a rejection when you have made an application for a permit, that means you do not qualify to be in South Africa, you must find a way out of the country,” KZN Home Affairs spokesperson Cyril Mncwabe told eNCA.
Speculation has emerged that the killing of crime activist and traditional healer Thato Molosankwe may have intensified recent anti-foreigner demonstrations. Molosankwe was shot dead at his residence in Lomanyaneng village in Mahikeng on Wednesday morning.
He was known for speaking out against criminality and the presence of undocumented foreign nationals in parts of North West province.
Police have launched a manhunt for those responsible for the killing.
