Durban mayor Cyril Xaba has ordered that Nigerians and other African nationals be moved to a screening centre where their legal status in South Africa will be verified.
The operation, carried out on Thursday, involved buses conveying foreign nationals from the Diakonia Centre in Durban’s central business district to a designated refugee reception facility where immigration documents were formally processed.
Videos circulating online showed African migrants being escorted into buses by South African law enforcement officials, triggering widespread reactions on social media.
The development comes amid renewed anti-foreigner campaigns in parts of South Africa, where some groups have continued to protest against the presence of migrants from other African countries.
Confirming the incident, the president of the Nigerian Union of South Africa, Smart Nwobi, said the relocation was influenced by mounting pressure from residents.
He added, however, that municipal authorities succeeded in preventing the situation from degenerating into violence or disorder.
According to South African media reports, the screening exercise followed findings that only two out of hundreds of migrants in KwaZulu-Natal possessed valid legal documentation.
eNCA reported on Friday that the Department of Home Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal processed 457 migrants and found only two to be legally residing in the country.
The report said the discovery prompted Durban authorities to begin a similar verification process for foreign nationals who had moved into shelters after seeking protection from anti-migrant groups.
There has also been speculation that the killing of crime activist and traditional healer, Thato Molosankwe, may have intensified recent anti-foreigner demonstrations.
Molosankwe was shot dead at his residence in Lomanyaneng village in Mahikeng on Wednesday morning, prompting police authorities to launch a manhunt for those responsible.
