Hundreds of Malawian nationals, including women, children and expectant mothers, have safely returned home from South Africa under a government-led voluntary repatriation programme.
Hundreds of Malawian nationals repatriated from South Africa have expressed gratitude to their government after arriving safely back home amid rising anti-migrant sentiment in parts of South Africa.
The returnees said they finally felt safe after enduring what they described as life-threatening circumstances during recent attacks and hostility directed at foreign nationals.
Among those who thanked the Malawian government for facilitating their return were Alice Amoni, an expectant mother from Lilongwe, Estele Charles, a mother of one who had lived in South Africa for five years, and Marriam Bashir, a mother of two from Mangochi who spent seven years in the neighbouring country.
A group of 661 Malawian nationals, including women and children, arrived at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Thursday night. The returnees include 92 children, among them triplets and two sets of twins, as well as 34 expectant mothers.
