We fled with only our lives’: Migrants recount brutal attack as Durban tensions escalate ahead of protests

“Hacked at with a machete.”

That is what Mozambican national Narciso Devesse claims happened to him at around 5am on Tuesday in Clermont, KwaZulu-Natal.

He says the attack was linked to the anti-immigrant national protests planned for June 30. He also claims that his money was stolen and that he fled with only his life.

“A group came to beat us up very early in the morning. They took our clothes, money and we don’t have anywhere else to go,” he said. “We’re asking for help. We would like to go back to our home country,” he told IOL outside the drive-in centre.

Among his fellow Mozambicans was a nine-month pregnant woman, who also had a three-year-old toddler in tow.

She described similar abuse in the township and alleged that police “dumped” them at the site.

“I came to South Africa last year. They told us that we should leave because we’re foreigners who don’t have jobs or money. We tried to persevere, but things got bad. Today, they broke in, took our belongings and forced us to leave,” said the 27-year-old.

She claimed the alleged attackers were more than 100 strong and forced them to flee.

“Only two individuals helped us by calling the police, who came and dropped us here. Good Samaritans came to donate food. However, they won’t let us into the site.”

Outside the Che Guevara Home Affairs office, asylum seekers grew tense as they watched protesters move up King DinuZulu Road.

The group has been camping outside the centre for more than five weeks. Among them are pregnant women and children. Deborah Ewing from the South African Palestine Movement was present with a group of monitors to oversee the situation.

“I’m here with a group of monitors from various civil society and religious organisations to monitor the situation on Che Guevara Road, where there are several hundred registered refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and from some other countries, so they’re legal,” she said.

“They all have papers. They’ve been camped out on the pavement here, unable to get shelter for the past more than six weeks.”

She added that she was concerned about the safety of displaced individuals, including men, women and children, who she said had no other options.

“We are standing in solidarity with them and coordinating with police, security forces and media to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Phoenix-based civic organisation, the Voice of Phoenix, said it believed the refusal of some undocumented foreign nationals to regularise their status or relocate was contributing to instability, but urged residents not to resort to violence or vigilantism.

“We cannot allow our neighbourhood to become a hotspot for conflict or vigilantism,” the organisation said, calling on street committees to help protect the community while encouraging residents to act within the law.

It also issued a direct appeal for calm, stating: “Do not take the law into your own hands. Report all threats and illegal activity immediately.”

Human rights advocacy organisation Women For Change warned against scapegoating migrants amid South Africa’s broader social and economic challenges.

“South Africans are living through multiple crises,” the organisation said in a statement.

It cited unemployment, inequality, crime and failing public services as deeply rooted structural issues rather than the result of migration.

“Migrants and refugees did not create these crises,” the group said, cautioning that blaming vulnerable people would not resolve unemployment, crime, corruption or gender-based violence.

Women For Change further stressed that law enforcement rests with the state, stating that “the enforcement of those laws is the responsibility of the State, not individuals or communities.”

It also emphasised dignity and constitutional protections, stating that “every person living in South Africa deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and humanity.”

The organisation urged peaceful conduct and directed those affected by violence or threats towards legal support services, including the Lawyers for Human Rights Immigration Detention and Crisis Hotline.

In response to the escalating tensions, Dr Raymond Perrier of the Denis Hurley Centre in central Durban criticised the legitimacy of the so-called deadline and warned of growing fear among vulnerable communities.

“The deadline, of course, is a bogus one,” he said.

Perrier stressed that the organisation continued to provide support to all those in need in central Durban, regardless of nationality or documentation status.

“They were very frightened today,” he said, describing a situation in which foreign nationals had allegedly been intimidated, with many too fearful to access essential services.

He also warned against vigilante behaviour and misinformation, stating: “I’d like to ask people to act in a peaceful way and in a way that honours our Constitution, and not think that they have the right to make up their own laws.”

Meanwhile, March and March leader Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma said supporters will protest every Thursday until the government acts to remove undocumented immigrants from South Africa.

Speaking to demonstrators outside SAPS Point in Durban, she said the campaign would continue weekly until authorities respond to their demands.

“For as long as they haven’t left, we are marching every Thursday. We hope government has budget for another R600 million,” she said.

IOL