Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ben Phiri, has applauded Prophet Shepherd Bushiri for stepping in with 10 buses to help repatriate Malawians caught up in South Africa’s xenophobic violence, describing the intervention as a timely show of patriotism.
Speaking in Lilongwe during the launch of Presidential Order No. 2 of 2026 on Sanitation, Phiri urged wealthy individuals, companies and institutions to emulate Bushiri and support the repatriation exercise instead of leaving the burden to Government alone.
“I took the time to thank Prophet Shepherd Bushiri for his kindness in assisting the government with repatriating stranded Malawians in South Africa. Delegating such responsibilities alone is not progressive, and I call on all Malawians and companies to support the repatriation effort,” he said.
Phiri said Malawi’s ability to respond to emergencies depends on collective action.
“If our millionaires, banks, companies and citizens collaborate using our resources, our brothers and sisters could be back home quickly. Malawi’s future depends on Malawians’ decisions,” he added.
Bushiri announced the deployment of 10 buses on Tuesday after reports of vigilante attacks targeting foreign nationals in parts of South Africa.
His pledge came a day after the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) appealed for public support, saying about 10,000 Malawians want to return home because of growing safety concerns.
Government, through DoDMA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is coordinating the exercise with the Malawi High Commission in Pretoria, while the first group of returnees has already arrived and more are expected in the coming days.
