The Malawi Government has repatriated 76 Malawians from South Africa following attacks targeting foreign nationals.
The 76 who will arrive in the country tomorrow were among 113 Malawians who were displaced in South Africa and were being kept in temporary shelters set by the South African Department of Disaster Management.
In a statement, Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) said out of the 113 displaced Malawians, the 76 people were the ones who showed willingness to be transported back home.
“DODMA has hired two buses to ferry the displaced Malawians back home. The buses left South Africa in the evening of 17th September, 2019. The buses are expected to arrive in the country on Thursday,” reads part of the statement signed by Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs Wilson Moleni.
According to Moleni, DODMA has set up a temporary shelter at Kwacha in Blantyre for the repatriated Malawians and it is also working with other stakeholders to ensure the returnees are supported with travel logistics to their destinations in Malawi.
The Malawi Government through the Malawi High Commission in South Africa also provided moral and basic support to the Malawians during their stay at the temporary shelterS in the Rainbow nation.
Violence against foreigners in Johannesburg and Pretoria over the past weeks led to the death of 12 people with over 1,000 foreign owned businesses being targeted.
More than 700 people from countries such as Malawi and Zimbabwe fled their homes and sought refuge in community centers in South Africa.
Meanwhile, the South African government has apologized to some African countries for the attacks.
