Immigrants relocated from Durban Diakonia Centre to refugee facility in KZN

Foreign nationals who had been refusing to leave the Diakonia Centre in the Durban CBD have now been relocated to a refugee facility in KwaZulu-Natal.

The group had moved to the centre after clashing with police at the Durban Central Police Station, where they were pleading for protection and shelter.

The immigrants claimed they had been forced out of their homes and feared for their safety following marches calling for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa.

eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba confirmed that the group has since been moved from the Diakonia Centre to a refugee centre in the province.

According to Xaba, authorities screened around 300 immigrants and found that only one person was undocumented. The individual has reportedly been arrested.

The developments come as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced that it had postponed the evacuation of more than 800 Ghanaian nationals from South Africa following reports safety concerns.

The Ghanaian government said legal and logistical processes, including passenger screening and coordination between authorities, needed to be finalised before the evacuation could proceed.

Police in South Africa continue to monitor the situation as concerns over the safety of foreign nationals remain high in several communities.