The South African government says it has successfully relocated the last group of migrants who had gathered outside the Department of Home Affairs offices on Che Guevara Road in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Department of Home Affairs announced on Wednesday morning that the 274 migrants had arrived safely in Gauteng and were being settled at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp.
The department had initially arranged to relocate all 278 migrants, but four opted to remain in Durban, where they hope to return to the communities in which they previously lived.
“278 individuals had initially agreed to be transferred, but four decided against the relocation by the time of departure,” the Department of Home Affairs said.
The department said the group comprised mostly Congolese and Burundian nationals.
“Those transferred include nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (191); Burundi (76); Uganda (5); Mozambique (1); and Ghana (1),” the department said.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration had presented the displaced communities with two options: returning to their areas of residence or relocating to Lindela.
Following a series of consultations, the department said, the option of relocation to Lindela was agreed upon.
The department said the group was escorted by law enforcement officers during the relocation process and confirmed that Che Guevara Road had now been cleared.