Cape Town – Police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at protesting Malawian nationals after tensions flared at the Sherwood Hall transit site in Durban on Wednesday.
According to The South African, members of the Public Order Police were deployed after a group of frustrated Malawian nationals refused to board vehicles that were meant to transport them either to the Lindela Repatriation Centre or to alternative accommodation along the Durban beachfront.
Violent scenes in Sherwood, Durban between undocumented Malawians nationals and police.pic.twitter.com/vdjade6ODl
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) June 17, 2026
The confrontation arose amid growing concerns among some of the migrants, who claimed that women and children had been allowed to board buses returning to Malawi, while a number of men were being directed to the Lindela Repatriation Centre instead.
Some of the men questioned why they were not being transported directly back to Malawi, eNCA reported
“We have been told to go to Malawi, so why are they not taking us to Malawi now?” one man said.
“They are putting us inside vans instead of putting us in buses.”
Officials said Sherwood Hall had exceeded its capacity due to the increasing number of Malawian nationals awaiting processing and repatriation. Authorities are seeking to relocate the remaining group to another site while immigration procedures continue.
[WATCH] Undocumented Malawians have now turned Sherwood outside the Durban CBD into an active crime scene, they are attacking police officers as they refuse to go through a deportation process. @_NMabaso pic.twitter.com/WJmGSo7bI4
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) June 17, 2026
The situation escalated when some protesters armed themselves with rocks, sticks and tree branches. The group chanted slogans and hurled stones and bottles at police officers.
Police responded by deploying stun grenades and firing rubber bullets in an effort to disperse the crowd.
According to IOL, at least 1,876 undocumented migrants have been identified among the approximately 7,000 Malawian nationals currently staying at the site.
Violence erupted between police and a group of Malawian migrants, described as unruly, who are demanding immediate repatriation and insisting on bypassing established processes. https://t.co/vwosM1qBoJ
📷: Doctor Ngcobo / Independent Newspapers#police #Malawian #migrants… pic.twitter.com/Fjzbgo8wFx— IOL News (@IOL) June 17, 2026
To assist with the growing caseload, the department has established a virtual priority court aimed at accelerating immigration and repatriation processes.
Meanwhile, the Malawian government has appealed for donations to help fund the return of its citizens.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
