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Marriam Bashir, a mother of two from Mangochi who spent seven years building a life in South Africa, was among 661 Malawian nationals who arrived at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Thursday to escape violence and threats against foreign nationals.The Malawian government said the returnees include 92 children, among whom are triplets, two sets of twins and 34 expectant women, including Alice Amoni from Lilongwe. Also among the group was Estele Charles, a mother of one who had lived in South Africa for five years.Government and humanitarian organisations are co-ordinating relief efforts for those who have returned to Malawi.Repatriated Malawians have commended the government for their safe return.In a post, the government said the returnees said they “finally feel safe after facing life-threatening situations during the recent xenophobic attacks in SA”.In a statement, the ministry of foreign affairs and international co-operation said eight buses carrying 560 Malawians under the voluntary repatriation exercise departed South Africa on Wednesday with 10 additional buses carrying 700 Malawians on Thursday.“The 1,260 Malawian nationals are those who were displaced and sought shelter at the Cape Agulhas town hall in Cape Town and Sherwood Hall in Durban. The repatriated will proceed to Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, where they will be processed before travelling to their respective local destinations. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to provide the necessary consular support to those affected by the ongoing vigilante attacks targeting foreign nationals in some parts of South Africa. The repatriation came after nearly two weeks of uncertainty at Sherwood Hall, where close to 10,000 Malawians sought refuge after being attacked, threatened and driven out of their homes. They were fleeing threats of violence, arrest and abuse by South Africans intent on driving illegal immigrants out of the country by a June 30 deadline.By Sunday the number had risen to about 10,000 as national sentiment against illegal immigrants grew, forcing the departments of home affairs, justice and police, and municipal officials to liaise with the Malawian embassy to repatriate the migrants.Justice and constitutional development minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who led an inter-ministerial delegation to the site on Thursday, said the government had no intention of establishing refugee camps.Malawian government officials arrived at the site last Friday and started the repatriation process, with several buses departing since Saturday. There were several incidents at the encampment with police deployed to maintain order. NGOs provided meals, clothes and blankets for displaced Malawians in Sherwood, Durban. Picture: (Sandile Ndlovu) Tensions ran high on Monday when anti-immigrant activist Ngizwe Mchunu visited the site on a “goodwill” mission. Angered Malawians camped at the hall grounds accused Ngizwe of provoking unrest. The next day police had to again intervene when buses containing groups who had attended a Youth Day event stopped outside the encampment, chanting “June 30″ in an apparent provocation to the foreigners.On Tuesday, the repatriation process was put on hold as numbers rose significantly and the Malawian government urged donors to contribute towards costs for the buses.On Wednesday, eThekwini mayor Cyril Xaba said the municipality, in conjunction with the departments of home affairs, justice and constitutional development and the police, would implement a deportation process to fast-track the processing of Malawians at the encampment. The municipality has activated an old drive-in site to alleviate pressure on the Sherwood site, improve conditions and enhance the co-ordinated management of affected individuals.He said the second site is a staging area intended to serve as an overflow site, reducing overcrowding at Sherwood and fast-tracking the deportation process.Foreign nationals, he said, would be registered to ensure entrance was capped and controlled. After concerns raised by North Beach residents, Xaba said the staging and processing facility for undocumented foreign nationals will not compromise the site’s long-term development. “Current operations form part of a short-term, co-ordinated national government intervention and are expected to conclude by June 30, enabling the city to continue advancing transformative investment opportunities on the site, including the proposed amusement park development.“The facility is not intended to serve as a permanent accommodation centre and is being used primarily as a processing and transit hub supporting operations led by the departments of home affairs and justice, police and other relevant government stakeholders.”He said to date, 1,396 individuals have been successfully repatriated through the process.TimesLIVE
