Cops Fire Rubber Bullets at Malawians in Durban as South Africa’s Anti-Immigrant Chaos Spills Into Streets

The incident at Sherwood Hall, a transit site where women were boarding buses to return to Malawi, escalated when men resisted transfer to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Gauteng, a facility used to hold undocumented foreign nationals before deportation [175555]. Authorities used non-lethal rounds to control the crowd, with no immediate reports of injuries [175555].

The clash is the latest flashpoint in a broader surge of anti-immigrant mobilisation across South Africa. Analysts say the unrest is threatening the country’s ability to govern, with vigilante groups and gangs operating with alleged state complicity [175547]. The violence has already derailed parts of South Africa’s constitutional democracy and is putting tourism, trade, diplomacy, and investment at risk in Africa’s largest economy [175547].

Nigeria has begun evacuating its citizens from South Africa following reports of xenophobic attacks, becoming the latest African country to repatriate its people as anti-migrant sentiment grows in the region [171092]. South African artists are also losing concert bookings and corporate deals across the continent as accusations of xenophobia spread, with the government acknowledging the economic damage but yet to announce specific measures to reverse it [173801].

The South African government has pushed back against claims by the World Health Organization’s director-general that 10 people were killed in xenophobic violence, insisting the deaths were not linked to anti-immigrant protests and that the number of victims is not confirmed [174560]. Despite global condemnation, the government maintains that the figures are inaccurate [174560].