The South African government says it has no plans to establish refugee camps, despite rising tensions linked to illegal immigration in Durban. Instead, officials say they are focusing on assisting the repatriation of about 7,000 Malawians who are currently stuck in the city. The government’s position indicates that it wants to address the situation through cross-border returns rather than creating new accommodation for refugees or migrants. The announcement comes as public and political debate intensifies around the presence of undocumented foreigners and the pressure on local services. While the government is not presenting refugee camps as an option, it is appealing for support to carry out the repatriation process. The reported figure of 7,000 Malawians frames the scale of the government’s stated effort to resolve the matter through returns. Overall, the government’s stated approach is centred on repatriation assistance rather than camp-based arrangements.