South Africa builds another site to ease overcrowding and speed up deportation of Malawian nationals

South Africa has started building a second temporary deportation center in Durban, a move aimed at easing overcrowding and speeding up the return of Malawian nationals after clashes at an already packed site in Sherwood.

The overflow facility was reported on June 18, a day after migrants protested delays in the repatriation process and police responded with rubber bullets and stun grenades. Officials said the new site is meant to relieve pressure on the Sherwood camp, where AP reported about 10,000 Malawian nationals had been waiting for more than a week.

Why a second site is being built

South African authorities said the people gathered at the site are undocumented and must appear in court before deportation can proceed. The process has been slowed by a bottleneck in transport, including too few buses available from Malawi to move people home.

The South African Ministry of Home Affairs said 1,876 undocumented people had been identified for deportation and that more than 6,000 more could also face removal. AP also reported that 560 Malawian nationals left South Africa on June 18 in eight buses, with another 700 expected to leave on June 19 in 10 buses.

How the Durban site became crowded

The situation escalated on June 17, when migrants protested delays in the repatriation process and police used force to break up the unrest. The clashes highlighted how quickly the deportation effort had outgrown the first site and pushed local officials to create more space for processing.

Durban mayor Cyril Xaba and KwaZulu-Natal provincial authorities said the new site is only a temporary overflow measure. They described it as a practical response to congestion, not a permanent settlement or refugee camp.

AP reported that at least 12 women had given birth at the site since the Malawian gathering began, underscoring how long people have been waiting there. The overcrowding and sanitation pressures remain a major concern as the repatriation effort continues.

Cross-border pressure and next steps

The repatriation process depends on coordination between South African and Malawian authorities, including transport planning and legal processing. Officials said the limited bus capacity available from Malawi has slowed the pace of departures even as South Africa expands formal deportation processing.

Deportees are expected to face a five-year ban on re-entering South Africa. The broader effort comes amid a wider anti-immigration crackdown and rising tension over foreign nationals in the country.

The main questions now are how quickly the second site can be completed, whether it will reduce the backlog at Sherwood, and whether further protests or police action will follow if the process remains slow.

Officials have not said how long the overflow site will operate. For now, the Durban operation remains a temporary fix for a fast-moving backlog that has become both a logistical and political problem for South Africa and Malawi.