7 July 2026
The field where hundreds of people slept at the weekend was empty on Tuesday, after the last of the immigrant families took buses back to their countries. Photos: Matthew Hirsch
Hundreds more immigrants left from Cape Town on buses, leaving the repatriation site in Epping empty by Monday night.
The temporary repatriation site at the Refugee Reception Centre, was opened on 28 June to shelter thousands of people wanting to return to their countries after anti-immigrant protests and threats of violence. The site was officially closed after the families had left, but hundreds more people, mostly from Zimbabwe and Malawi, arrived over the weekend. They had been living on an open field near the centre.
However on Monday the new arrivals left by bus and by Tuesday, when GroundUp visited, the site was clear. GroundUp saw several law enforcement and SAPS vehicles. City of Cape Town Solid Waste staff were clearing the area.
Many families were forced to leave behind belongings because there was not enough room on the buses.
Homeless people were sorting through the stuff that had been left behind. “We are also desperate,” one man said.
A woman collected some of the belongings left behind.
At the centre, normal Home Affairs services have resumed. We spoke to two men from Democratic Republic of Congo who were waiting for their asylum papers.
“We see what’s happening to our brothers and sisters,” said one man. “It’s affecting us a lot.”
According to Dr Naeem Kathrada of Gift of the Givers, 13 buses arrived to help the hundreds of people who arrived on the site over the weekend. The buses will stop in Johannesburg before heading to Musina near the Zimbabwe border.
Gift of the Givers said they would provide support until the families arrived home.
On Sunday, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the province had “successfully concluded” the voluntary repatriation processes. People still needing help should approach their embassies or consulates, he said.
In a statement on Monday, the Department of Home Affairs said more than 300 additional immigration officers were being recruited. Minister Leon Schreiber said this was part of plans to “build a secure, digital and fit-for-purpose immigration system that serves the national interest”.
Normal services have resumed at the Home Affairs centre.
