Frustration and anger are building at the makeshift Sherwood Park camp, where thousands of migrants wait desperately for buses to Malawi.
The temporary settlement has swollen to nearly 10,000 people, all ready to abandon the lives they built in South Africa.
Men, women, and children crowd into a few cramped tents to escape the biting chill of the winter nights.
A handful of dedicated aid groups distribute essential food, clean water, and sanitary supplies to the swelling, desperate crowds.
Long, exhausted queues snake through the camp for basic necessities, while a heavy stench of human waste hangs over the area.
Overwhelmed sanitation facilities have already triggered outbreaks of illness, adding a layer of physical suffering to the psychological toll.
This week, angry residents launched a fierce protest to drive away anti-immigrant activists who arrived at the camp gates.
Many stranded migrants viewed the sudden arrival of these hostile political groups as a deliberate, cruel provocation.
Twentysix-year-old Hasani Amadi questioned why these factions continue to harass people who are already actively trying to leave.
The bitter irony remains that after being forced from their homes, these travelers are pursued even as they retreat.
More than 2,000 kilometers of road lie between these displaced families and the promised safety of their distant homeland.
