A planned “clean-up” by March and March at the site where refugees and asylum seekers have been living outside the Home Affairs office in Durban descended into violence yesterday afternoon.
About 100 people gathered at Che Guevara Road in Umbilo, where foreign nationals have been camping for an extended period.
The gathering was reportedly organised as a clean-up campaign, but tensions quickly boiled over as marchers allegedly picked up essential belongings owned by foreign nationals.
Police were deployed to the area as the confrontation became physical.
“Police in KwaZulu-Natal are in the process of registering a case against a foreign national who assaulted a police officer with a stone during a confrontation between people who were marching and foreign nationals who have been camping outside the Home Affairs office on Che Guevara Road at Umbilo in Durban,” police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said.
Stones fly as tensions erupt
A poster circulating ahead of the gathering had called on people to meet at the site, describing the area as “unbelievably dirty” and complaining about the state of the pavement.
“Here is a clean-up planned for Moore Road, in the area where foreigners have been staying for a long time in front of Home Affairs,” the poster stated.
It also described the pavement as having “turned into a refugee camp” and urged people to attend.
“Let us all be there, leaders. Please share this as widely as you can,” the message said.
However, what was billed as a clean-up quickly descended into a violent confrontation between March and March members and foreign nationals.
Heated confrontations
“We are not scared of you. You are disrespectful,” one of the refugees said.
A member of the anti-illegal immigration group responded: “Why don’t you go fix things in your own country?”
During the confrontation, stones were thrown and one allegedly struck a police officer.
“Police had to use minimum crowd management proportional force to manage the situation and calm was quickly restored. Investigations are ongoing and should anyone be found to have incited violence will face the might of the law,” Netshiunda said.
Paramedics also attended the scene to assist those injured, including a woman who reportedly suffered a broken leg.
Netshiunda said the arrested suspect would appear in court once all processes had been completed.
