Malawi’s government-funded voluntary repatriation programme for nationals affected by violence targeting foreign nationals in South Africa comes to an end on Wednesday, with more than 56,700 Malawians assisted to return home.
The country’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) said the final buses will leave the Malawi Consulate in Johannesburg and the Malawi High Commission in Pretoria at noon, marking the end of the emergency initiative.
The reception centre in Mwanza will subsequently be decommissioned.
The programme facilitated the return of 56,723 Malawian nationals, comprising 38,866 men and 17,857 women.
“Since the launch of this emergency initiative, the government has successfully facilitated the voluntary return of 56,723 Malawian nationals comprising 38,866 men and 17,857 women.”
DoDMA said the end of the government-funded programme does not mean Malawians wishing to return home will be left without consular assistance.
Those who still want to leave South Africa will now have to make their own travel arrangements, while the Malawi High Commission in Pretoria and the Malawi Consulate in Johannesburg will continue providing services such as emergency travel documents.
“Following the conclusion of the Government-funded Voluntary Repatriation Programme, Malawian nationals who wish to return home will be required to make their own travel arrangements.”
The scale of the operation follows months of mounting tensions and xenophobia towards migrants in South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, where some Malawians fled areas where they said they feared violence and anti-foreigner sentiment.
The situation at Sherwood deteriorated as the number of people seeking to return home surged, placing severe pressure on sanitation, food supplies and processing capacity.
A 25-year-old Malawian man interviewed by IOL on June 18 described the conditions at the overcrowded site.
“I haven’t bathed in seven days,” he said. He had been living in South Africa for two years and described his experience of the country as mixed.
“We have water and food, but there are too many people here, so when it comes to sanitation, it’s very poor.”
At the height of the crisis, thousands of Malawians were gathered at Sherwood while authorities worked to process them for departure. The situation was further complicated by the distinction between voluntary repatriation and deportation under South African immigration law.
On June 17, eThekwini Mayor Councillor Cyril Xaba intervened to accelerate the processing of undocumented Malawians, engaging senior government stakeholders to increase capacity. IOL reported at the time that more than 10,000 undocumented foreign nationals were awaiting processing.
Xaba explained that deportation could not simply be carried out en masse because each undocumented foreign national had to undergo an individual legal process.
“Under South African immigration laws, deportation requires each undocumented foreign national to be processed individually. This includes identity verification, the issuing of the necessary legal documentation, and an appearance before a court to ensure compliance with due process and the protection of constitutional rights.”
Additional courts and Home Affairs officials were subsequently brought into the process in an effort to address the backlog.
The repatriation programme has also come at a significant human cost.
DoDMA said seven deaths were recorded during the exercise and conveyed its condolences to the families of those who died.
“Regrettably, seven deaths were recorded during the exercise, and the Government conveys its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.”
IOL
