Thousands of immigrants have descended on makeshift repatriation centers in KwaZulu-Natal, desperate to flee South Africa after losing their homes, jobs, and facing violent threats amid a wave of anti-immigrant attacks.

The Old Drive-in site in Pietermaritzburg, transformed into a temporary repatriation facility, has been overwhelmed by the sheer number of people seeking to return to their countries of origin. With the center at full capacity, new arrivals have been forced to sleep outside – many for two consecutive nights – without access to water, toilets, or food.

On Tuesday morning, June 23, 2026, scores of people were sitting outside the gates as more were dropped off by minibus taxis. By 6pm, women and children were finally allowed into the facility, escorted by police, while the crowd outside continued to swell throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

‘I spent the night outside with no place to relieve myself’

Rose Jesinao, a Malawian national, said she travelled from the Eastern Cape – where she worked as a domestic worker for R2,500 a month – after hearing that Malawians were being repatriated.

“I spent the night outside with no place to relieve myself,” Jesinao told reporters at the facility.

Musa Saide said he arrived in South Africa without documents and was working at a hardware store in Harding, earning R600 a week. He has two children whom he is leaving behind with their South African mother because they lack travel documents.

Violent mob attacks trigger mass exodus

The rush to repatriation centers follows violent mob attacks in the Jika Joe informal settlement in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, sparked by a protest organized by the anti-immigration group March and March. One person was reportedly killed during the violence.

March and March’s leaders have previously denounced violent acts, but founder Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma did not respond to requests for comment.

Malawian migrants living in Jika Joe sought refuge in an empty, disused building owned by the Department of Public Works. By Monday, more than 1,600 people were packed into the premises, according to Stephen van Neel, the national immigration enforcement officer for the Department of Home Affairs.

Buses depart as tensions flare

The humanitarian aid organization Gift of the Givers, with sponsorship from local businesses, organized buses to transport people to Malawi. Two 65-seater buses left for Malawi on Monday, with another 12 departing on Tuesday. The organization also provided relief packs to those waiting.

Tensions flared as people desperate to board the buses tried to jump the queue, with metro officers using riot shields to push the crowd back.

Van Neel could not confirm how many people remained in the camp, stating that a new count had to be conducted.

Activists call for urgent intervention

In an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Siyafana Sonke Action Campaign – a coalition of more than 160 civil society organisations – called for an urgent meeting to address what they described as “the escalating crisis of pogroms, forced removals, and the displacement of migrants.”

The coalition is demanding the “immediate cessation of violence,” the “provision of humanitarian aid,” and the arrest of leaders of anti-immigration movements.

Police Minister Firoz Cachalia said on Tuesday that preparations ahead of March and March’s 30 June deadline will cost the fiscus R600-million.

A humanitarian crisis unfolds

The scenes at Pietermaritzburg’s repatriation centres paint a grim picture of a humanitarian crisis unfolding in real time.

Thousands of vulnerable foreign nationals – many of whom had built lives in South Africa – are now fleeing in desperation, leaving behind jobs, homes, and even family members, as xenophobic violence and economic pressures converge.

Two private pilots who were held captive in Guinea for more than five months after what they described as a routine fuel stop have been released following a $45,000 fine paid to the Guinean government.

Brad Schlenker, a 63-year-old pilot from Chicago, and his co-pilot Fabio Nicolas Espinal Nunez, 33, of New Jersey, landed at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport in Conakry on December 29, 2025, to refuel while flying a Brazilian family from Suriname to Dubai. Instead of receiving fuel, they were met by armed military personnel and taken into custody.

‘Absolute Farce’

Schlenker, who has 36 years of flying experience, maintained throughout the ordeal that the pilots had all necessary permissions for the technical stop.

“We received our clearance, we took off, we showed up over here, talked to tower, talked to ATC. Bottom line is, they cleared us to land,” Schlenker told CBS News during his detention.

Guinean authorities charged the pilots with violating the country’s airspace and making an unauthorized landing, allegations Schlenker described as “an absolute farce.”

“They searched the aircraft five times and they didn’t find anything,” he said. “The legal system here, you can’t even fathom.”

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Diplomatic Efforts

The pilots’ detention sparked a multi-country diplomatic effort involving the United States, the Dominican Republic—Nunez’s home country—and Brazil, whose citizens were on board the aircraft.

The U.S. Department of State confirmed it was “actively providing consular assistance” and remained engaged on the case . According to the family, the U.S. government’s direct involvement and oversight were decisive in ensuring the crew’s well-being and security throughout the legal process.

Initially released on bond on March 13, the pilots were placed under house arrest at a hotel in Conakry. However, prosecutors reportedly refused to sign off on their release due to pressure from the military.

Release and Homecoming

After 157 days of detention—five months and seven days—the pilots were finally released on June 1, 2026, following a plea deal.

Schlenker said the businessman they were working for paid a $20,000 bond for each pilot, totaling $45,000, to secure their freedom.

“There seems to be something between the lines we don’t know about. It’s very unusual,” Nunez’s fiancée Lauren Stevenson told the New York Post during the ordeal.

Upon his return to the United States, Schlenker embraced his 90-year-old father in an emotional reunion at O’Hare International Airport.

“It was quite emotional,” Schlenker said. “Dad kept asking my brother, ‘What’s going on? When is Brad coming home?”

South African musicians and performers are seeing their gigs cancelled across the African continent amid rising tensions linked to migration challenges in the country, Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has revealed, warning that xenophobia is now damaging the nation’s own creative economy.

Speaking at a press event, Kubayi expressed deep concern after being contacted by a local artist who reported that all her scheduled performances on the continent had been cancelled. The minister described the development as a direct and painful consequence of anti-foreigner sentiment within South Africa’s borders.

“One of the areas that we would have to look at as well, that has come to my attention, is our artist,” Kubayi said. “Majority of South African artists perform on the continent, and many of them are seeing their gigs being cancelled. So that’s another impact.”

A Ripple Effect Beyond Borders

The minister stated that live performances across Africa represent a significant source of income for South African creatives, who have long been ambassadors of the nation’s vibrant cultural scene.

“They benefit quite a lot. They perform on live performance events and everything,” Kubayi explained. “One artist did reach out to me to say all her gigs were cancelled on the continent. This is an income lost by South Africans.”

The cancellations suggest that anti-South African sentiment may be spreading in response to periodic waves of xenophobic violence targeting African migrants living in South Africa. Informal shopkeepers, truck drivers, and other foreign nationals have been attacked in past years, with tensions often flaring over competition for jobs and economic opportunities.

‘South Africans Are Not Xenophobic’

Kubayi sought to reassure neighboring countries and the broader continent that the actions of a violent minority do not reflect the views of most South Africans.

“We are explaining that South Africans are not xenophobic,” she said. “We are also saying to South Africans, let’s be responsible.”

The minister drew a distinction between concerns over illegal immigration and the protection of legal residents. She noted that other African nations have expressed understanding when the issue is framed as the enforcement of immigration law.

“Those that you have within the borders legally, please protect them like you protect South Africans,” Kubayi said, summarizing the message she hopes will resonate both at home and abroad.

A Call to Reject Vigilantism

The minister issued a direct appeal for communities to reject vigilantism and refrain from attacks on foreign nationals. She warned that such violence harms not only migrants but also South Africans who may be wrongly targeted based on language or appearance.

“Attacks on foreign nationals do, to a certain extent, extend to others who are not even foreign nationals in terms of language and how they look,” Kubayi cautioned.

She argued that the consequences reach far beyond immediate physical harm:

It can not only threaten the brand, but can hurt our social cohesion. It can divide us further in terms of our cultural diversity.”

Internal and External Costs

Kubayi noted that South Africa has long prided itself on cultural diversity and inclusion, welcoming people from different tribes, communities, and nations. Allowing xenophobic violence to continue, she said, risks unraveling that social fabric both internally and in the country’s relations with the rest of the continent.

“We’ve welcomed our cultural diversity and inclusion and welcomed each other from different tribes and different communities,” she said. “If we don’t deal with this both internally, it can also hurt us internally and externally.”

The minister confirmed that her office would now work with the Department of Arts and Culture to assess the full extent of the economic damage to South Africa’s creative sector.

“We’ve not been able to work together, so we’ll definitely work together with arts and culture to understand the impact for them,” she said.

A Broader Warning

For South African artists, the cancellations represent more than lost paychecks. They signal a potential erosion of cultural exchange and goodwill across a continent where South African music, film, and fashion have long enjoyed enthusiastic audiences.

As Kubayi put it, the brand of South Africa itself is at stake. And unless communities reject vigilantism and violence, the ripple effects may continue to spread—cancelling not just gigs, but the promise of a truly united, diverse, and inclusive society.