First Lady Gertrude Mutharika’s Beautify Malawi (Beam) Trust has donated food and non-food items worth K100 million to 1 000 Malawians who recently returned from South Africa following xenophobic attacks.
The donation, which was handed over at Joyce Chitsulo Stadium in Mwanza yesterday, included duvets, sugar, soap, soya pieces, orange juice and flour to help ease the challenges faced by the returnees as they start rebuilding their lives.
Speaking during the handover, Beam Trust chairperson Dingiswayo Jere said the First Lady was concerned with the plight of Malawians who were forced to leave South Africa, hence the decision to provide support.
He said the help would provide a safety net for the returnees as they return to their respective homes and begin rebuilding their lives.
“This support will help them as they settle back home because many of them left South Africa without their belongings and basic necessities,” said Jere.
Representing the returnees, Abdul Bright thanked the First Lady for the support, saying the items would help them cope with the difficult transition after returning home empty-handed.
“This support has come at the right time because it will help us as we begin rebuilding our lives back home,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary to the Government Justin Saidi has encouraged the returnees to consider staying in Malawi and using their skills to contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.
He said during the event in Mwanza yesterday that the government was working on measures to ensure the returnees are supported and properly integrated into their communities.
According to the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, 41 976 Malawians have so far been repatriated from South Africa by yesterday although Dodma Commissioner Wilson Moleni said more Malawians are still stuck in the Rainbow Nation.
Malawians are among thousands of foreign nationals displaced by anti-immigrant operations that have intensified in recent weeks.
According to South African authorities, over 53 000 people, mostly Malawians, have so far been repatriated to their respective home countries.
