Malawi Government has hired 55 buses to repatriate thousands of Malawians stranded in some parts of South Africa after fleeing from a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in that country.
Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi said in an interview yesterday that authorities are working to ensure that every Malawian wishing to return home is safely repatriated.
“These buses come from Malawi and it is easier for us in terms of foreign exchange because we will pay them in kwacha,” he said.
Saidi said the government will support every Malawian seeking voluntary repatriation to get home.
“Malawians must be assured that anyone who wants to come to Malawi will definitely come with Malawi Government support,” he said without disclosing the cost of hiring the buses.
During the ceremony on Tuesday at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre to welcome the first group of 170 returnees from South Africa’s Western Cape Province, Saidi said government had anticipated that around 600 Malawians would request repatriation.
He said the number has since increased to more than 3 000, prompting the government to appeal for assistance from development partners, humanitarian organisations and well-wishers.
Meanwhile, the South African Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday evening reported that about 2 500 Malawians are seeking refuge outside Sherwood Hall in Durban after fleeing violence in their communities. There are also other nationals at the place, but the majority are Malawians, according to South African media reports.
In a telephone interview yesterday, one of the Malawians at the camp Innocent Ngosi from Traditional Authority Chulu in Kasungu said security had deteriorated in areas such as Umlazi, KwaMashu, Ntuzuma and Inanda.
Another Malawian sheltering at Sherwood Hall, Aman Saizi from Traditional Authority Chimwala in Mangochi said he narrowly escaped death after being attacked on Sunday, but his South African girlfriend rescued him.
Last month, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation spokesperson Charles Nkhalamba disclosed that the Malawi High Commission in South Africa had been receiving distress calls from Malawians seeking assistance to return home as xenophobic tensions escalates.
