Malawi Repatriates 150 Citizens From South Africa Amid Xenophobic Violence

Malawi began repatriating 150 citizens from South Africa after they were displaced and sought refuge in temporary camps amid xenophobic violence, with the first two buses departing South Africa’s Western Cape Province on Saturday.

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APAnews

The Malawian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the evacuation and return were coordinated by a multidisciplinary Malawi task force operating under the coordination of the Malawi High Commission in South Africa.

BBC

The returnees are travelling by road through Zimbabwe and Mozambique and are expected to enter Malawi through the Mwanza Border Post on Monday before proceeding to Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre for processing and onward transportation to their respective home areas.

Malawi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said, “The Ministry reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all affected Malawians and its readiness to provide the necessary transit and consular support,” as the first group makes the journey home.

The repatriation is part of a wider regional response, with the BBC saying Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have also organised repatriation flights and transport after raising concerns about xenophobia in South Africa.

As the threat of violence lingers, Business Insider Africa said over 600 Ghanaians have recently left South Africa, with 663 repatriated over the weekend via OR Tambo International Airport.

The Ghanaian High Commission in Pretoria facilitated the repatriation, using both ordinary passports and Emergency Travel Certificates, and the Border Management Authority said 170 were processed on Ghanaian ordinary passports while 162 used Emergency Travel Certificates on Saturday.

Business Insider Africa

On Sunday, Business Insider Africa said a further group of 331 Ghanaian nationals was brought to OR Tambo International Airport for repatriation, with 117 using ordinary passports and 90 using Emergency Travel Certificates, and it added that 37 minor children born in South Africa were also processed using Emergency Travel Certificates.

In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned against taking action “on the streets and demanding proof of their nationality,” and the BBC quoted him saying there was “no space for xenophobia, racism, sexism, Afrophobia or any other forms of intolerance” in the country.

The BBC also linked the Malawian repatriation to violence in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, including reports of door-to-door intimidation and the deaths of two Mozambicans in Mossel Bay.

The BBC said anti-migrant groups are demanding undocumented migrants leave the country and have set 30 June as a deadline, while Ramaphosa announced measures to crackdown on illegal migration in a national address aimed at easing tensions.

“- Over 600 Ghanaians have recently left South Africa, with 663 repatriated over the weekend via OR Tambo International Airport”

Business Insider Africa

The BBC reported that South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola accused his Ghanaian counterpart of spreading misinformation about xenophobia in South Africa, describing what he heard as “deeply disappointing” in a post on X.

In response, the BBC said Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told Joy News he was proud of the solidarity Ghanaians showed in supporting their fellow nationals and reiterated a call for the African Union (AU) to investigate what was happening.

Meanwhile, Malawi’s repatriation operation is described as a coordinated humanitarian effort, with returnees expected to arrive Monday evening at the Mwanza border post before transfer to Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre for administrative formalities, according to APAnews.

APAnews said the repatriation was coordinated by an interministerial team dispatched to South Africa in collaboration with the Malawi High Commission in Pretoria, and it said Lilongwe authorities put in place support measures including consular, logistical and humanitarian assistance to ensure safe return and reintegration.