More than 3,000 Malawians, many women and children, have taken refuge in a park in the port city of Durban, South Africa, after facing marches demanding the expulsion of undocumented foreigners. They say they have no choice but to return home.
At the park, which has turned into a temporary transit camp, many report living outdoors in the cold. “It is hard to stay here,” Falesi Chukuwumba, a Malawian citizen, told Al Jazeera. “Our children could get sick.”
Sayiba John, 33, left the town of Nazareth with her husband and three children. Her daughter, a second-grader, had to abandon her exams. “They told us we must go. We have no choice,” John said. “It is better for our government to take us away from here than to face the anger of South Africans.”
Ellen Mwamulima, a 45-year-old widow and mother of three who worked as a domestic helper in Mossel Bay, fled a mob and hid in the bush for two weeks. “We lost everything; they burned our house and belongings,” she recounted.
The anti-immigrant marches are backed by the MK party, led by former President Jacob Zuma, which has strong influence in KwaZulu-Natal province. Thousands participated, accusing foreigners of taking jobs and economic opportunities. “There are undocumented foreigners working all over in our businesses,” said protestor Mythobisi Sabelo.
Violence has spread beyond KwaZulu-Natal. Five Mozambican citizens were killed in Mossel Bay. Over 150 Malawians were bussed out of Western Cape province over the weekend. Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique have repatriated hundreds of citizens this month, and a flight carrying the first group of Nigerians is expected to depart Johannesburg.
About 150 other migrants from Burundi, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe are sheltering at a government office near Durban park. South Africa has experienced waves of xenophobic violence since 2008, when dozens of migrants died and thousands were displaced. Currently, around three million foreigners live in South Africa, roughly 5% of the population, with over 63% from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc.
