Malawians returning home after fleeing xenophobic attacks in South Africa are set to receive psychosocial support and other social welfare services as the government moves to help them recover from traumatic experiences and rebuild their lives.
The assurance follows concerns raised in Parliament over the welfare of the returnees, with lawmakers calling for comprehensive support beyond repatriation to ensure affected families are able to reintegrate into their communities.
Minister of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare Mary Navicha made the assurance while responding to Mzimba North East legislator Catherine Gotani Hara, who urged the government to provide comprehensive psychosocial care to returnees, warning that many had lost their livelihoods and could face severe emotional distress upon returning home.
Navicha said her ministry has already rolled out psychosocial support services for returnees immediately upon their arrival at the country’s borders, while also facilitating family tracing and reunification for those separated from their relatives.
She said the ministry is working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) to strengthen assistance for the affected citizens beyond their immediate return.
“My ministry is providing psychosocial support to all returnees right there at the border, and we are also helping all returnees in family tracing and reunification. We are working hand in hand with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through DoDMA, and very shortly we will have a round-table discussion to see how best we can handle all returnees by providing them with psychosocial support, including social cash transfers, to help rebuild their lives with dignity,” Navicha said.
Gotani Hara had appealed to the government to go beyond repatriation efforts by ensuring returnees receive mental health support, saying many had lost their jobs, homes and means of survival in South Africa, leaving them vulnerable to depression and even suicide if left without adequate assistance.
She also called for government support in helping families of Malawians who died in a recent bus accident in South Africa access compensation, while urging authorities to identify and utilise the skills acquired by returnees and explore opportunities for legal labour migration to other countries.
“These are people who had a livelihood in South Africa. Some of them don’t even have a home here in Malawi, some don’t have food or a house where they can live. Because of that, some will resort to committing suicide, so they need somebody to give them that support so they understand that this is not the end of their lives,” Gotani Hara said.
