DURBAN, KwaZulu-Natal – More than 400 foreign nationals continue to sleep on the streets outside the Durban Home Affairs office, two weeks after arriving on May 22, despite official verification confirming their legal status in South Africa.
The Department of Home Affairs confirmed last week that the group, which includes women and children, holds valid asylum seeker documentation and is legally present in the country. The verification came after the individuals reported being forced from their homes and workplaces amid rising community tensions, with some told to return to their countries of birth or face threats.
While the group welcomed recent remarks from the President emphasizing that the dignity and rights of all people must be respected—and condemning intimidation and violence—they expressed concern that the address did not offer immediate solutions to their current predicament.
“We appreciate the President stating that people’s dignity needs to be respected and that intimidation in the streets or workplaces is unacceptable,” said a spokesperson for the displaced group, who has been present since the protest began. “However, there were no concrete answers regarding our situation right now: stranded outside this building, without workplaces to return to, and with many of our small businesses already closed.”
The spokesperson described how neighbors and community members, influenced by ongoing protests and misinformation, began issuing ultimatums. “People we lived with for years suddenly asked, ‘Are you still here on June 30?’ or claimed, ‘That garden you tend will be mine when you leave.'”
Although the President reaffirmed that South Africans are not xenophobic and called for an end to violence, the group stressed that refugees and asylum seekers have not received adequate support or public awareness regarding their rights and integration. “We have been part of this community for over 10 or 20 years,” the spokesperson noted. “Yet we are now visible on social media, targeted, and unable to safely return to our daily lives.”
When asked about the mayor’s suggestion that the group could be reintegrated into their former communities, the spokesperson responded cautiously. “At this moment, I cannot agree to that statement. The hatred and intimidation still exist. We have lost jobs and livelihoods. Without a clear solution to these threats, how can we go back?”
The group remains outside the Home Affairs building in the Durban CBD, having created makeshift living arrangements along the street. They continue to call for government intervention to ensure their safety, restore their livelihoods, and facilitate a sustainable path toward community reintegration.
Department of Home Affairs officials have not yet announced further steps regarding temporary shelter or support services for the verified asylum seekers.
