News24 | Refugees begin boarding buses for relocation after weeks of sleeping on KZN home affairs’ doorstep

Asylum seekers and refugees who have been living outside the Department of Home Affairs office in Che Guevara Road, Durban, have begun boarding buses for their relocation to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp.

Sakhiseni Nxumalo/News24

As dawn broke in Durban on Tuesday, asylum seekers and refugees who had been living outside the Department of Home Affairs office in Che Guevara Road began boarding buses for their relocation to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, Gauteng.

The relocation of the 278 people began at 05:00, following a directive from the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration.

Ndileka Cola of the Department of Home Affairs said the committee “presented the displaced communities with two options: returning to their areas of residence, or relocating to Lindela”.

“Following a series of consultations, the option of relocation to Lindela was agreed upon”.

Che Guevara Road will also be cleared as part of the operation to ensure compliance with municipal by-laws and maintain public order.

The Gift of the Givers Foundation has secured food parcels to support those affected by the relocation process.

Cola said the government would continue discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) regarding the possibility of resettlement of the group in another country.

The relocation comes after weeks of uncertainty over the future of the displaced group, which has been staying outside the Home Affairs Refugee Reception Centre in Che Guevara Road.

The operation is expected to bring an end to their presence outside the Home Affairs offices, with the 278 people being transported to Gauteng.

More to follow.

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