Durban – Tensions over immigration erupted into violence in Durban on Thursday after members of the anti-immigrant movement March and March confronted Congolese refugees and other asylum seekers living outside the Department of Home Affairs’ Refugee Reception Office on Che Guevara Road.
According to News24, hundreds of March and March supporters marched from King Dinuzulu Park to the refugee camp as part of what the movement described as a “clean-up” operation.
The confrontation turned violent when stones were allegedly thrown during a heated exchange. A March and March leader and a police officer were reportedly injured, while police arrested a foreign national accused of throwing a rock. Police used stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds.
The refugees, many of whom are from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and Rwanda, have been living in makeshift conditions outside the Home Affairs office for about 15 weeks after fleeing violence, intimidation and eviction threats.
WATCH: The leader of the March and March Movement, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, says 10 of their members were injured during a clash with Congolese nationals on Moore Road in Durban – KZN Tonight Podcast pic.twitter.com/tGZLS3UE7b
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 3, 2026
TimesLIVE reported that about 400 documented refugees and asylum seekers are currently living at the site, with limited facilities, including only a few mobile toilets.
March and March supporters defended the operation, saying they wanted to address what they described as deteriorating conditions in the area.
🚨 DURBAN: Police & March and March reportedly removing Congolese refugee shelters outside Home Affairs on Moore Rd. Group there ∼4 months. Tense scene.
📍Moore Rd, Durban 03/09
#Durban https://t.co/OX51Bka5p4 pic.twitter.com/7IzsgFWats— SA NATIONAL TRAFFIC UPDATES (@lnnocent191535) September 3, 2026
One movement member said: “We are cleaning our streets. We cannot have our streets looking like this. This is our community and we want it to be clean.”
The movement also called for foreign nationals to return to their countries.
But refugee representatives said they were remaining at the site because they feared returning to the communities from which they had fled.
🚨🚨Chaos erupted on Che Guevara Road in uMbilo, Durban, as a March and March clean-up operation sparked a confrontation with foreign nationals. Police intervened as tensions escalated, while paramedics treated those injured in the scuffle. Authorities formed a barricade to… pic.twitter.com/92ZDg28K26
— IOL News (@IOL) September 3, 2026
The confrontation comes amid months of escalating tensions between March and March and foreign nationals in KwaZulu-Natal.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
