Members of anti-illegal immigration movement March and March shut down access to the Department of Home Affairs’ Refugee Reception Centre on Che Guevara Road in Durban on Tuesday, 6 October, disrupting asylum applications and services.
The group gathered outside the centre as asylum seekers arrived to apply for protection in South Africa. Images from the scene showed women, children and men waiting in long queues outside the facility in the Durban heat.
The action comes amid heightened tensions over immigration and the country’s asylum system.
Dispute Over Asylum Applications
Home Affairs is currently implementing a directive requiring Refugee Reception Offices to accept people who arrive in person and indicate that they want to apply for asylum.
The directive follows a Constitutional Court judgment in July 2026, which found that parts of the Refugees Act creating barriers for people who entered South Africa irregularly or missed prescribed application deadlines were unconstitutional and invalid.
March and March has opposed what it views as inadequate enforcement of immigration laws, while authorities have repeatedly warned that immigration enforcement cannot be carried out by private groups.
The latest shutdown follows months of tension around the Durban centre. Hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers had previously lived outside the facility after leaving communities where they said they faced threats and attacks.
In September, government relocated 278 people from the area to the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Gauteng following consultations with affected communities. Others chose to remain in Durban.
The situation has previously resulted in clashes between protesters and refugees, prompting a heavy police presence around the centre.
March and March has argued that its campaign is focused on illegal immigration and the enforcement of laws, while critics have raised concerns about the impact of anti-migrant protests on refugees and asylum seekers.
The latest confrontation has once again placed Durban at the centre of South Africa’s growing debate over immigration, asylum and the government’s ability to manage the country’s borders while protecting people seeking international protection.
Main Image: IOL
