Humanitarian efforts are facilitating the return of Malawian citizens who fled South Africa due to threats of violence. Thousands of these people are welcomed back home with food, clean drinking water, and clothing thanks to the ongoing humanitarian work of the organization Gift of the Givers.
The humanitarian organization reported that 36,240 Malawian citizens have safely returned home. Aid teams are providing necessary supplies to ease the transition for these individuals, many of whom described their experience as traumatic.
Representatives of the organization stated that from the beginning, their teams provided critical support, ensuring that arrivals received food, clean water, and clothing. This continuous humanitarian mission has touched thousands of lives.
Gift of the Givers Malawi confirmed that its operations continue as new people arrive in the country. Humanitarian groups remain on site to provide immediate assistance and comfort. The mission is not slowing down: volunteers distributed vital supplies to hundreds of other returnees the day before, while families began rebuilding their lives.
The organization reaffirmed its commitment to humanitarian response, stating: 'We remain committed—we stand strong with every returning Malawian until the last person is safely home.'
The group provided each returnee with food and other necessities to ensure a comfortable and dignified journey. What could have been a difficult and distressing migration was transformed into a safe and humane journey home by Gift of the Givers.
Upon arrival, the organization's team in Malawi met the returnees and offered them hot meals as they prepared to begin rebuilding their lives.
Speaking on behalf of the aid recipients, Veronica Kafantengo thanked the humanitarian organization for its support, noting that without this help, something terrible could have happened.
Another returnee, Peter Jimmy, echoed these words, saying that the help came in time, and the care and support gave him strength and hope, and he would never forget the deeds of Gift of the Givers.
Mozambique repatriated 1363 citizens from South Africa as a result of outbreaks of anti-immigrant violence.
A representative of the Council of Ministers, Inosensio Impissa, told journalists in Maputo that 1363 citizens have been returned since the start of xenophobic attacks. Between July 1 and 4, 625 people arrived in the country. The government is working to ensure the continuity of these citizens' work and is mapping their professions.
Furthermore, Mozambique has received at least 6156 citizens from Malawi who were in transit and subsequently transported to the Tete province in central Mozambique, near the border with Malawi.
The government stated that it is working on a certification process for the returned citizens to facilitate their employment abroad under labor mobility memorandums with countries such as Portugal and the United Arab Emirates. Mozambican President Daniel Chapo recently stated that the government is considering including victims of anti-immigrant violence in the country's current mega-projects, as well as in other overseas employment opportunities in accordance with international cooperation agreements to address employment issues.
Approximately 300,000 Mozambican citizens currently reside in South Africa. The presidency reported in a statement that thousands of people have already returned to the country due to violence. In the latest wave of anti-immigrant attacks in South Africa, at least 283 Mozambicans were attacked, their homes were burned, and their property was looted.
Migrants from Malawi returning home from South Africa reported being forced to pay cash to officials after entering Mozambique. Some passengers who did not have money were removed from the buses.
Several Malawians told the publication IOL that after their bus crossed the Mozambican border, officials approached the vehicle and began demanding money. One migrant, Ibrahim, who has lived in South Africa for over ten years, reported that they were fine when leaving South Africa, but as soon as the bus entered Mozambique, officials started asking questions about proper documentation and demanded money, specifically no less than 200 rand.
According to Ibrahim, those who could not pay were taken out of the bus and placed in a room, and he does not know what happened to them. He added that he left South Africa fearing for his safety, leaving his wife and children in South Africa.
Ibrahim's account of the demand for cash by Mozambican officials was confirmed by other passengers traveling on the same bus. Musa, another Malawian fleeing South Africa on the same bus, stated: 'Yes, they asked for money, and we had to give them everything we had. We tried to explain our situation, which they already knew because everyone knows what is happening in South Africa. But we saw that they were taking risks and exploiting us.'
However, Imtiaz Sulaiman from the humanitarian organization Gift of the Givers noted that anyone subjected to extortion was not part of the official repatriation program. Sulaiman emphasized: 'Every Malawian and Jimbaran person who left the camps we participated in passed through Musina. If they left independently, they did not have state protection.'
Official data shows that more than 15,000 Malawians left South Africa since June 25, although the true number is considered to be significantly higher if voluntary departures are included. Thousands of Malawians are still in South Africa awaiting repatriation. The Etxevini municipality closed the repatriation point in Durban, redirecting processing and deportation efforts to Musina in Limpopo. The majority of people seeking repatriation are Malawians.
According to a statement issued by the Kenyan Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, cited by EFE, Minister Roseline Njogu received the 60 Kenyan citizens who were brought back to the country on Friday evening. Before reuniting with their families, these individuals received psychosocial support.
The Government of Kenya expressed its deep gratitude to the Kenyan community residing in South Africa, specifically the Kenya Diaspora Association in South Africa (KEDASA), and its leadership. This gratitude is directed for maintaining peace and cooperating with local authorities and consular teams during the withdrawal process.
The government document also clarified that the repatriation activities would be finalized on Thursday, July 9, departing from Johannesburg. Furthermore, an appeal was made to all citizens wishing to return to Kenya to register at the Pretoria embassy by July 7, as only registered individuals would be eligible for the final flight.
In total, at least 240 Kenyans registered at the embassy to receive assistance, which included provision of food, safe temporary shelter, essential items, and specialized support for vulnerable groups.
Thousands of people took to the streets of South Africa the previous Tuesday in demonstrations organized by anti-immigration groups. These groups set this date as a deadline for undocumented immigrants from other African nations to leave the national territory.
South African police confirmed one death during looting that occurred parallel to the protests. However, the South African Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, assured that there were no recorded fatalities during the day of the demonstrations, which resulted in more than 900 arrests.
The organizers of these protests attribute the country's economic problems, poor quality of public services, or high crime rates to migrants. They also attempted to block migrants' access to medical care and education in public facilities.
Given this situation, several countries, including Zimbabwe, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, and Malawi, have already sent hundreds of their nationals back to their countries of origin due to fear of xenophobic attacks.
For its part, the South African government condemned such attacks, although it reaffirmed its right to monitor irregular immigration.
The Government of Zimbabwe informed on Friday that more than 56,000 Zimbabwean citizens residing in neighboring South Africa have returned to their country since the end of May, motivated by the wave of xenophobic violence and anti-immigration protests in South Africa.
Joshua Chibundu, regional immigration officer for the Southern Region, released local data indicating that at least 47,252 people returned on their own, while another 9,221 received direct assistance from Zimbabwean authorities.
Xenophobic tensions against African migrants constitute a persistent problem in South Africa, provoking waves of violent protests, particularly in more vulnerable areas. The most severe peak of xenophobia recorded in the country occurred in 2008, when more than 60 people died, with the most serious recent incidents occurring at the end of 2019, with the death of at least 18 foreigners.
