Refugees who have been living on the pavement outside the Department of Home Affairs Refugee Reception Office on Che Guevara Road in Durban since May 2026 have agreed to be relocated to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Gauteng, as tensions mount ahead of a planned anti-illegal immigration march by the group March and March on Thursday, September 10, 2026. The Department of Home Affairs has moved to transfer the refugees from the Durban site, though refugee representatives say the facility is being used as temporary shelter rather than for repatriation, according to IOL.

Death And Violence Heighten Fears Among Refugee Community

Bienvenue Munga, a 42-year-old documented refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, died on September 1, 2026, after spending more than three months living on the pavement outside the Home Affairs office. His family says his TB treatment was disrupted by the living conditions, though this has not been independently verified by medical records or health authorities. Munga was buried at Marian Hill Cemetery on September 9, 2026.

Refugee community spokesperson Kafuti Muyumba said the group includes documented refugees from seven countries who were chased from their homes in Mayville in May 2026 by March and March members who believed they were in the country illegally. Muyumba alleged that two people have died while living on the road, though only Munga’s death is detailed in the reporting and the second death has not been independently corroborated.

A planned clean-up by March and March at the refugee camp on September 3 descended into violence, with stones thrown and a police officer allegedly struck. SAPS has not publicly confirmed either the refugees’ or March and March’s account of the incident. Muyumba alleged that March and March members arrived carrying weapons, a claim not independently verified by police statements or other sources.

We just need shelter because we can’t be in the street forever. We need shelter so that we can leave this place. March and March is complaining that they want to clean the streets because the tent and everything are making the street look bad. Which we understand, but now we don’t have anywhere to go; we’re pleading with the government to help us with shelter.

The quote was from Princess Adjei, a refugee leader, speaking to SABC News at the Che Guevara Road camp.

March And March Insists Actions Are Lawful As Premier Vows Intervention

March and March spokesperson Sandile Dube said the September 10 march from King Dinuzulu Park past Che Guevara Road would be peaceful and lawful. Dube told IOL the group obtains permission from SAPS before staging any action. He characterised the September 3 incident as a clean-up rather than a march and alleged that refugees initiated the violence, injuring a March and March leader.

The fact is that they cannot be sleeping on the street like they have been doing for months. If South Africans had to do that, they would be removed. Also, it is not humane for them to be living there.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli vowed to intervene in the growing refugee crisis on September 9, 2026, though concrete government action beyond the Lindela relocation remains unclear. The Lindela Repatriation Centre has historically been used as a deportation facility for undocumented migrants, and its repurposing as temporary shelter for documented refugees highlights the lack of adequate refugee accommodation infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal.

Muyumba urged the government to clarify that the refugees are legally documented. He said they cannot return to their countries of origin due to conflict and cannot return to the communities from which they were expelled because they would face further attacks. The relocation to Lindela is expected to begin imminently, though a timeline has not been officially confirmed by the Department of Home Affairs.