The Sherwood (or Sherwood Hall/Park) site in Durban, South Africa, which temporarily housed thousands of Malawian nationals, is now largely cleared following their relocation and repatriation.
Background
In mid-June 2026, thousands of Malawians (reports varied from several thousand to around 10,000 at peak) gathered at Sherwood Hall/community hall and park in Durban’s Sydenham/Sherwood area. They fled their homes amid anti-migrant protests and xenophobic tensions, seeking voluntary repatriation to Malawi. The site became an informal, overcrowded encampment with tents, poor sanitation, and humanitarian challenges. South African authorities (including eThekwini Municipality, Home Affairs, and police) and Malawian officials managed processing, with buses repatriating many (women and children prioritized).
Current State (as of late June 2026)
- Malawians have left: Most or all occupants were relocated to a temporary staging/processing site at Durban’s old Drive-In (North Beach area) for better crowd control, biometric screening, and faster repatriation. Many have already been bused back to Malawi (thousands processed, with ongoing convoys).
- Cleanup underway: eThekwini municipal workers launched a major mop-up operation to clear debris, refuse, blankets, food waste, buckets, temporary structures, and other litter. The grounds are being sanitized and restored for community use. Residents described the post-encampment state as messy (“an awful mess”), with calls for stricter future controls.
- No longer a camp: The site is no longer functioning as a refugee or transit camp. Officials emphasized it was temporary and not intended as a permanent refugee settlement.
