But about 150 people who had been camped outside Home Affairs since May have opted to stay

Five buses filled with immigrant families, mostly refugees and asylum seekers, left Durban for the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Gauteng on Tuesday morning. This follows violent clashes between the group and hundreds of March and March supporters.

The families had been camped outside Home Affairs for more than three months, seeking protection from xenophobic attacks.

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Families boarding the buses were given humanitarian packages by Gift of the Givers. After they left, volunteers and municipal workers started clearing the area.

While most people went to Lindela, about 150 opted to stay behind. Some will be rehoused by humanitarian groups led by Durban Cares and Siyafana Sonke. A few said they will return to where they had lived before the current wave of xenophobic protests.

Wivine Bahati told GroundUp she was born in South Africa and had never been to her family's home in the DRC. She was terrified to leave on the bus.

"I was working as a domestic worker. The sad part is that we are all human beings. I don't know how a person could mobilise people to hate us in this manner," she said.

Mukulu Yohane, also from the DRC, said he had decided to move back to Umbilo.

"I am happy for those who decided to go to Lindela, but I won't be joining them because I want to stay in Durban. I was hospitalised after being assaulted by members of March and March but that doesn't mean I have to go back to a war zone," he said.

Durban Cares founder Cathryn Aylett said they have been helping people at the camp since May.

"I know people are worried about those who have been left behind, but we will definitely make sure they receive assistance, including those who want to be reintegrated and those who want assistance to go to their countries of origin," said Aylett.

Bilall Jeewa from Gift of the Givers said they were contacted by the government a few weeks ago to assist.

"We gave them something to eat on their way to Lindela because it's an eight-hour trip from Durban. We also provided sanitary towels and toiletries," said Jeewa.

KwaZulu-Natal Department of Home Affairs manager Cyril Mncwabe said the process to repatriate the group started in May after refugees from Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo sought police protection.

"We can confirm that 274 refugees have gone to Lindela," said Mncwabe.