DURBAN - At least 12 babies have been born to Malawian women who are among the thousands currently at Sherwood Hall in Durban awaiting repatriation.
This is according to the Department of Home Affairs’ Cyril Mncwabe, as authorities continue to process scores of Malawian nationals who have gathered at the site to board buses back home.
“The last I knew was 12 babies that were born here on site, and the last two of the 12 were born a day before yesterday,” Mncwabe said.
On Wednesday, the eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba outlined a range of critical interventions established to accelerate the processing of the group who have been accommodated at this site for a prolonged period.
These interventions, he said, seek to stabilise the situation at the site, reduce humanitarian and public health risk, support the ongoing processing of migrants and expedite the deportation process.
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On the humanitarian support, Xaba said the municipality has increased the number of ablution facilities and expanded waste management capacity at both sites.
Water tankers have also been deployed to augment the water supply.
At the same time, the Department of Health is on site to provide health care services, including ambulances and mobile clinics.
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Mncwabe said these services remain on the ground to attend to emergencies.
“Once you've got a crowd this big sitting here, there will be those sicknesses that would develop, there might also be people that getting injured.
"I saw an ambulance and the mobile clinic parked just to take care of those who are possibly falling sick, those who are giving birth and all those who need serious medical attention,” Mncwabe added.
Mncwabe said SAPS remains on the ground to prevent tensions from escalating.