Malawi to End Voluntary Repatriation of Citizens from South Africa
By Burnett Munthali LILONGWE, Malawi — Malawi is set to conclude on Wednesday a government-backed programme to repatriate citizens who have chosen to leave South Africa amid concerns over insecurity and rising tensions involving foreign nationals. The Nation newspaper reported that 56,723
, Malawi — Malawi is set to conclude on Wednesday a government-backed programme to repatriate citizens who have chosen to leave South Africa amid concerns over insecurity and rising tensions involving foreign nationals. The Nation newspaper reported that 56,723 Malawians have so far returned home through the voluntary repatriation exercise, citing figures from Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA). The programme was introduced to help Malawians who wanted to return home following growing concerns about their safety and living conditions in parts of South Africa. The operation has involved the transportation of returnees from South Africa to Malawi, with government agencies and humanitarian partners helping to coordinate the process. The repatriation comes against a wider backdrop of tensions over migration in South Africa, where undocumented foreign nationals have increasingly become the focus of political and public debate. Malawians are among the large migrant communities living and working in South Africa, with many employed in sectors including domestic work, agriculture, construction and small businesses. South Africa has previously taken measures to address undocumented migration, including immigration enforcement operations and the processing of foreign nationals at temporary facilities before their departure. The Malawian government has stressed that the current exercise is voluntary, meaning that those returning have chosen to leave rather than being forcibly deported. The scale of the operation has nevertheless highlighted the challenges faced by Malawians living abroad, as well as the broader migration pressures affecting southern Africa. Authorities are expected to focus on the reception and reintegration of those returning after the repatriation programme ends. The conclusion of the exercise on Wednesday will bring to an end a major organised return operation involving tens of thousands of Malawian nationals.