Hundreds of Malawian nationals, including women, children and expectant mothers, have safely returned home from South Africa under a government-led voluntary repatriation programme.
Image: Malawi Government
Hundreds of Malawian nationals repatriated from South Africa have expressed gratitude to their government after arriving safely back home amid rising anti-migrant sentiment in parts of South Africa.
The returnees said they finally felt safe after enduring what they described as life-threatening circumstances during recent attacks and hostility directed at foreign nationals.
Among those who thanked the Malawian government for facilitating their return were Alice Amoni, an expectant mother from Lilongwe, Estele Charles, a mother of one who had lived in South Africa for five years, and Marriam Bashir, a mother of two from Mangochi who spent seven years in the neighbouring country.
A group of 661 Malawian nationals, including women and children, arrived at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Thursday night. The returnees include 92 children, among them triplets and two sets of twins, as well as 34 expectant mothers.
Estele Charles, a mother of one who had lived in South Africa for five years, flanked by health officials after her arrival in Malawi from South Africa through the government-led voluntary repatriation programme.
Image: Malawi Government
The group is being accommodated at Kamuzu Stadium, where government departments and humanitarian organisations are coordinating relief and reintegration assistance.
The repatriation forms part of a larger voluntary return programme launched by the Malawian government in response to growing concerns about the safety of its citizens in South Africa.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the government confirmed that eight buses carrying 560 Malawians departed South Africa on Wednesday, June 17, while a further 10 buses carrying 700 nationals were scheduled to leave on Thursday, June 18.
According to the ministry, the 1 260 Malawians being repatriated were among those who had sought refuge at temporary shelters established at the Cape Agulhas Municipality Town Hall in Cape Town and the Sherwood Town Hall in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
The government said the repatriated nationals would enter Malawi through the Mwanza border post before being transported to Kamuzu Stadium for registration and processing prior to returning to their respective communities.
"The Ministry reaffirms its commitment to provide the necessary consular support to those affected by the ongoing vigilante attacks targeting foreign nationals in some parts of the Republic of South Africa," the statement said.
Some of the Malawian returnees at the Kamazu Stadium in Blantyre, Malawi, after they left South Africa through the voluntary repatriation programme. The returnees have mainly come from Sherwood in Durban and Cape Town.
Image: Malawi Government
The ministry also thanked the South African government, civil society organisations and other stakeholders for their cooperation in facilitating the repatriation process.
Meanwhile, Malawi's Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) said it had hired 55 buses to support the operation, with eight already arriving in Blantyre carrying returnees.
The repatriation effort comes after discussions between Malawi's President, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding the return of Malawian citizens. According to reports, the two leaders held cordial talks on measures to ensure the safe and orderly repatriation of affected nationals.
Authorities have indicated that thousands more Malawians could be assisted through the programme as the government continues monitoring the situation in South Africa and providing support to citizens wishing to return home.
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