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South African authorities have processed more than 15,000 Malawian nationals for repatriation ahead of next week’s anti-immigration protests, with thousands more awaiting clearance, the country’s justice minister said on Friday.
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said 15,162 Malawian nationals had so far completed the repatriation process, while others remained in temporary camps awaiting verification.
“To date, a total of 15,162 Malawian nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation, and more are still undergoing the verification process,” Kubayi said.
She added that conditions in parts of KwaZulu-Natal, where many Malawians had been staying for weeks, had become unsustainable.
The repatriation exercise comes ahead of planned nationwide demonstrations on June 30, after citizen groups urged undocumented migrants to leave the country by that date, raising concerns about a possible resurgence of xenophobic violence.
Several African countries, including Malawi, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have offered voluntary repatriation to their citizens following attacks on foreign nationals and widespread looting.
South Africa’s Border Management Authority also said it processed 8,230 foreign nationals for repatriation through the Beitbridge Border Post between June 12 and June 24.
The figure included 6,709 Malawians transported in 112 buses and 1,521 Zimbabweans in 26 buses.
“This brings the total number of repatriated foreign nationals processed at Beitbridge only during this period to 8,230 persons,” it said.
Authorities said the country has remained tense after weeks of unrest targeting foreign nationals, with official figures putting the death toll at three.
Kubayi said two Mozambican nationals were killed during the violence, while three others died in a road accident. Another Mozambican was reportedly killed during an altercation at an entertainment venue. She added that all six bodies had been repatriated.
The minister also confirmed that a Malawian national was killed during a protest in Pietermaritzburg, though the victim’s body has yet to be returned home.
Meanwhile, International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola criticised groups conducting house-to-house searches for undocumented migrants, describing such actions as unacceptable.
The latest tensions come ahead of South Africa’s local government elections scheduled for November 4. Previous outbreaks of xenophobic violence in the country have been deadly, including the 2008 riots that claimed 62 lives.
