More than 100 Malawian nationals stranded outside the Malawian Embassy in Pretoria are pleading with both the South African and Malawian governments for urgent assistance to return home.
The group says they have been living in harsh conditions for more than a week without access to basic sanitation.
24-year-old Majidu Moffat says he came to South Africa a year ago in search of better economic opportunities. However, after his passport expired and amid growing fears over immigration enforcement, he has decided to return home.
“We can’t complain about food. The food is there; people are giving us food. But now, we need the buses, because we are struggling there. We are getting cold, we can’t bath, there’s no water. We need the bus to come at the right time for us to go home. When we stay in the streets, the police come and chase us away. They say ‘No, you can’t stay here, you are a foreigner. You are supposed to go home.’ So we need a bus to come here.”
Repatriation Centre in Musina
Meanwhile, undocumented migrants from various parts of the country continue to arrive at the Repatriation Centre, outside the Beitbridge Border Post in Musina, Limpopo, on Saturday.
The migrants are processed at the centre before they are taken back to their home countries. Thousands are being repatriated following protest actions for their removal from the country.
A Zimbabwean immigrant Oliver Madzoro says he will start life afresh at his home country.
“Sometimes we can just cry that South Africans are chasing us out of their country, but I think that it’s the best opportunity for us just to start afresh at home. I have been here in South Africa for at least 15 years. I am a builder. So, for now, I can go home and start afresh, I think it’s our opportunity to do so.”
VIDEO | BMA officials say organisations around Musina are assisting with providing food for immigrants who are being processed:
‘Vulnerable among the most affected’
Humanitarian teams say repatriation efforts for foreign nationals are intensifying across South Africa, with operations now centred in Musina, where between 25 000 and 30 000 people are being processed to return to their home countries.
Founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, says the largest numbers include Malawian, Zimbabwean and Congolese nationals.
Dr Sooliman says women, children and vulnerable people have been among the most affected, with some families spending days without adequate shelter while awaiting transport or travel documents.
Relief organisations say thousands of people have sought assistance at centres in the Western Cape, including the Epping Refugee Centre, where many endured difficult weather conditions before receiving help.
Report by Sphiwe Mkhize and Rudzani Tshivase
