DURBAN - Tempers flared outside the Sherwood Hall grounds in Durban on Monday as an angry crowd of Malawian nationals caught sight of anti-illegal immigration activist Ngizwe Mchunu and members of March and March.
The large group wielding sticks and chanting, said they were more than happy to leave South Africa, but that Mchunu being in the vicinity of the camp was a provocation.
Police had to quickly step in to calm the angry crowd and contain any violence.
READ | Malawi begins voluntary repatriation of its nationals in SA
The group who have been camped at the hall grounds from last week, claim they left their homes across KwaZulu-Natal amid fears sparked by anti-migrant protests.
"This guy must go, we do not want to see his face here. He must go back," one Malawian national shouted.
"He said we must leave the country, we are leaving, what is he doing here now? He must not come here, these people are angry and they are going to hit him... he is going to die here," the man added.
Another man from the angry crowd added, "what they [Mchunu and March and March] are doing is wrong, even God will punish him. I am black, he is also black, why is he treating us like dogs? We just want transport to go back home."
Earlier this month, the Malawian government said it would begin the voluntary repatriation of its nationals in South Africa. On Sunday, seven buses arrived to transport them to Malawi, however, many remain at the camp awaiting clarity on their future. The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that 1,100 Malawians processed for repatriation were in the country illegally.
The number of Malawian nationals seeking refuge in tents at the Sherwood Hall grounds has risen from 75 to an estimated 6,000 people in six days, and the number continues to rise.