Massive Malawian repatriation — Durban site overflows while bus blunder strands 500 in Joburg

Thousands of Malawian immigrants descended on a makeshift repatriation camp in Durban, where they were being verified and processed in what Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber described on Monday as “a heck of a big operation”.

Meanwhile, about 500 people, who thought they were being repatriated to Malawi on four buses from Cape Town and three from Durban, were taken to Johannesburg instead, because the buses lacked the permits required to cross the border. They were dropped at the Malawian consulate in Sandton on the weekend.

Over the past week, Malawians began to gather outside a community hall in Sherwood, Durban, wanting to return to their country of origin. Many people have been evicted from their homes, lost their jobs, or faced threats of violence in the wake of March and March’s anti-immigrant campaign.

As the number of people swelled, conditions deteriorated, with limited access to water, food or sanitation.

On Sunday night, those at Sherwood were transported to a new temporary repatriation location set up at Durban’s Old Drive-In site.

Immigrants said the new site had more space and better living conditions.

“We are relieved because here we can at least use proper toilets and have a place to wash,” said one person.

Schreiber, speaking to the media on Monday morning, said 7,000 people had either been deported or repatriated to Malawi, and an estimated 8,000 were still on site in need of processing.

The process has sped up since the new site was opened, he said. “From a logistical point of view, we are starting to hit our stride on a very difficult operation.”

Schreiber explained that each person has to be verified before they can be deported or repatriated. If a person is found to be in the country illegally, they have to be declared undesirable for a period of five years “so that they can’t come back”.

Most of the immigrants do not have passports, he said, and the Malawian High Commission is scrambling to issue group passports.

The South African Police Service is also screening immigrants to ensure they are not wanted for committing a crime.

“We’ve had one person already arrested who’s wanted for rape of a minor,” said Schreiber. “We can’t allow people to just get a blank cheque and evade justice.”

Schreiber said the success of the operation was dependent on collaboration, with the City of eThekwini providing facilities, the provincial government providing health services, the SAPS providing policing and law enforcement, and local businesses and NGOs providing food and water.

“It must be done in a humane way that respects the rights of everyone who is here,” he said.

In addition to the people who have been relocated from Sherwood, scores of immigrants were being dropped off outside the site’s gates on Monday. Some had arrived on Sunday night and were forced to sleep outside.

Dawood Musa said he came from Tongaat, north of Durban. His employer, fearing for his own safety, had told him to return home. But when he got to the drive-in site, he was turned away.

Mariam Hassan said she arrived on Sunday afternoon but was left outside with her five-year-old daughter. “They told us there is no space for us here,” she said.

Cyril Mngcwabe, Home Affairs’ manager for KwaZulu-Natal, described the situation as “a bottomless pit”. He said those outside the gates would eventually be accommodated but would have to wait.

Sane Jambo said he intends to return to South Africa once the situation stabilises, as life in Malawi is difficult. “I have a wife and children to support. In South Africa, I was able to take care of my family,” said Jambo.

Stranded in Joburg

Meanwhile, about 500 Malawians, mostly women and children, were stranded in Johannesburg due to permit issues with the buses meant to repatriate them.

The crisis began when people, who thought they were being repatriated to Malawi on four buses from Cape Town and three from Durban, were taken to Johannesburg instead, because the buses lacked the permits required to cross the border. They were dropped at the Malawian consulate in Sandton on the weekend.

The group has since found temporary shelter at a church, while authorities work to finalise their journey home.

According to Tessa Dooms, a representative of community organisations and NGOs assisting the group, Home Affairs officials said they were initially unaware of the situation, believing all repatriation buses had already left the country.

Dooms said NGOs immediately stepped in to provide food and water for people who had expected to already be across the border.

The group was first accommodated at a small church in Newlands, offered by a Malawian pastor, but the venue soon proved too small to reasonably accommodate hundreds of people, and the sudden arrival raised concerns among Joburg residents who gathered at the church, according to Dooms.

The group was moved to another church. Mike Tembo, a church leader, said they were caring for about 500 people, providing shelter, food, and blankets.

Some babies have also been born during this displacement period and received medical assistance from Doctors Without Borders.

“Every migrant we’ve spoken to within the last 24 hours has been very clear that … they want to go home,” said Dooms.

Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said on Monday that all buses processed through official government channels are escorted by law enforcement to the border and that none had dropped passengers elsewhere in South Africa.

Kubayi described reports of immigrants being dropped at various locations as “inhumane and unlawful”, and said a full statement would be issued once all the facts had been gathered.

Cyril Mngcwabe, KwaZulu-Natal Home Affairs manager, said those offloaded in Johannesburg must still be confirmed by the Malawian government.

Officials say the remaining group should be repatriated shortly.

NGOs, Home Affairs, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Malawian High Commission are collaborating in the repatriation process. DM

Originally published on GroundUp.