Overview
- Thousands of Malawian nationals have been sheltering at Sherwood Hall in Durban in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions with reports of diarrhoea, water rationing and 12 births at the site.
- Officials have prioritized women, children and sick people for direct bus repatriation while many men are being moved to the Lindela Repatriation Centre for court hearings and fingerprint screening.
- Police used stun grenades, rubber bullets and teargas when groups of men resisted transfer to Lindela, an operation that turned violent during confrontations on Wednesday.
- Border officials reported a record single‑day processing of 1,129 Malawians at Beitbridge using Emergency Travel Certificates and dozens of buses have been organized to return people to Malawi.
- Humanitarian groups warn that the accelerated push could worsen health and protection risks and strain Malawi and South Africa’s ability to provide reception services legal processing and safe reintegration.