Refugees and asylum seekers gathered outside the Department of Home Affairs offices in Berea, Durban, report that their precarious situation remains unresolved despite recent government verification efforts.
The group, comprised largely of women and children, had been temporarily sheltered at the Diakonia Centre before being relocated for processing on 21 May. On that date, 457 foreign nationals were processed by the provincial home affairs department after initially seeking refuge at the Diakonia Centre and the Durban Central Police Station.
Disappointment and unanswered questions persist following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent national address, which addressed illegal immigration and rising civic protests against undocumented foreign nationals. While the speech elicited mixed reactions nationwide, those displaced by xenophobic protests state that the address worsened their uncertainty because their specific circumstances were not acknowledged.
“We were expecting maybe the president to speak about what is the solution for us because most of us have been sitting here for a month now,” said one asylum seeker. “Most of the people have not even been working for a month. Their jobs were taken away. So we’re expecting maybe he’s going to speak about people going back to their workplaces and putting a stop to all the protests and all of that. But then nothing as such was mentioned.”
The foreign nationals, who have spent weeks sleeping outside the Home Affairs building on Moore Road in Berea, expressed hope that the presidential address would provide favorable interventions to restore their safety and livelihoods.
Those present during the 21 May processing say they feel abandoned by both provincial and national authorities following weeks of silence regarding a path forward. “We are not here by our choice,” stated another asylum seeker. “We went to the police station to seek safety and the municipality or the mayor himself brought us here but from here he said that you are now on your own.”
The group reports having exhausted available avenues for assistance, including appeals to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), without receiving a concrete solution. “So we are here up until someone who is in charge and who think that they are mandated to have the betterment of refugees should come on board,” the spokesperson added.
Compounding their anxiety is the approaching end-of-June deadline cited by certain pressure groups, which has heightened fears within the community. “I am so scared. I don’t know what’s going to happen because a lot of things are already happening now. So I am very scared about the 30th of June,” shared one refugee.
The group has reiterated that they will not vacate the area until a solution is implemented that assures their safety and resolves their legal status. As of now, their situation remains at an impasse, with no clear timeline for resolution provided by authorities.
