Following reports of anti-immigrant (xenophobic) attacks in Durban, South Africa that have affected some Malawians living there, the Government of Malawi has decided to repatriate Malawians who want to return home voluntarily.
The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has directed the Department of Disaster and Management Affairs (DoDMA) to coordinate the repatriation process with immediate effect.
DoDMA is the government of Malawi’s agency for coordinating and directing the implementation of disaster risk management programmes in the country.
According to latest official reports from the offices of the Malawian Consulate and High Commission to South Africa as of 14th April 2015, about 420 Malawians were reported to be affected and are in temporary camps in South Africa.
So far only three (3) Malawians have been reported to be seriously injured. However, one person who was also heavily injured has been evacuated from the camp by his relatives, and he is being taken care of by his family.
The figure of Malawians who have been affected is expected to rise.
The victims are said to have lost almost all their property, including travel documents in the attacks.
The Malawian Consulate and the High Commissioner’s office in South Africa are working hand in hand with the South African government on monitoring and assessing the situation on the ground.
The two offices are also working with their South African counterparts on the production of temporally travel documents for the victims.
The Government of Malawi has set aside K30 million to hire six (6) buses from South Africa to be used to ferry people who voluntarily want to be repatriated to Malawi.
The buses are expected to arrive in Malawi from South Africa with the returnees on Sunday and the Government of Malawi has identified two centres in Lilongwe and Blantyre where the buses will drop off the returnees from South Africa.
The centres are Kwacha Social Welfare near Njamba in Blantyre and Social Welfare in Malangalanga in Lilongwe.
When the returnees arrive at these centres they will be screened by Police, Immigration Department and Social Welfare officials before being released to their respective homes.
The Government of Malawi will also organize transport for the returnees to return to their respective homes.
Meanwhile, officials from the two governments are continually talking to each other on how best to handle the matter.
The President of the Republic Malawi His Excellency Prof Arthur Peter Mutharika before leaving for the United States directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to engage his counterpart in South Africa on the matter and he will be travelling to South Africa soon for that purpose.
The Malawian Mission in South Africa is conducting the screening process which includes identification of individuals in order to fast track border crossing as well as identification of an individual’s home of origin.
The Malawi Government is committed to ensuring the safe return of all Malawians who have been affected by the recent xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
More information on the latest developments on the matter will be made available to the nation as and when it is available through the media.
