By Sihle Mavuso
The eThekwini municipality has made a passionate plea to employers around Durban to stop dumping foreign nationals at the Old Drive In repatriation site, saying the site is now officially closed after all the immigrants that were there have been moved to Musina in Limpopo, where the government has set up a new repatriation centre.
The municipality’s plea comes as employers are now dumping their former foreign employees at the site, even after it was closed on June 30.
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The first batch of foreign nationals was dumped in the early morning of July 1 (Wednesday this week), and fortunately, some contracted buses were still on site, so they were squeezed in and moved to Musina.
However, unlike their counterparts who left earlier, some of their belongings, the batch on Wednesday had to leave some of their belongings behind as they were told that only one bag was allowed on board in order to squeeze everyone in.
Despite the chilling cold and rain on Thursday afternoon, some employers believed to be from Chatsworth and Overport dropped off their former employees on site. The number grew on Friday morning, and it was estimated to be around 1500.
That prompted the eThekwini municipality to call on former employers to stop dumping the foreign nationals in the area. It said more than 20 000 Malawian nationals were processed and repatriated through the Sherwood and Drive-In sites.
To support the massive operation, the government procured more than 300 buses, of which eThekwini Municipality provided 150 on a cost-recovery basis.
It said after concluding that process, it has now commenced with clean-up operations at the Drive-In site to restore the area and remains committed to maintaining a clean, safe and welcoming environment for residents, businesses and visitors.
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“EThekwini Municipality wishes to reiterate that the Durban Drive-In site remains closed and is no longer operational as a temporary repatriation facility. Despite several previous communications confirming the closure, the Municipality has noted with concern that some employers of undocumented foreign nationals continue to drop off their employees outside the former Drive-In site.
“The public, employers and transport operators are urged to refrain from bringing foreign nationals to the site, as no services are being provided there. The temporary repatriation processing centre for undocumented foreign nationals has been centralised in Musina, Limpopo, under the coordination of the Department of Home Affairs.
The municipality further said it does not deal with immigration matters, and as such, it should not be burdened with queries regarding the matter.
“The Municipality further wishes to clarify that matters relating to undocumented foreign nationals fall under the mandate of the Department of Home Affairs and not the Municipality.
As such, the Municipality is not in a position to comment further on the repatriation process,” it added.
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