The Malawi Government has repatriated more than 21,000 citizens from South Africa, surpassing its initial target of 15,000, Commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Wilson Moleni, has confirmed.
Speaking to the media in Lilongwe on Friday, Moleni said the repatriation exercise is progressing successfully through a collaborative effort between the governments of Malawi and South Africa, with additional support from development partners, the private sector, and individual Malawians.
“We have exceeded our original target. We had planned to repatriate 15,000 people, but we have now brought back more than 21,000 citizens,” Moleni said.
He said the South African Government has provided buses for the operation, while local partners and private companies have supplemented the effort by offering additional transport and other forms of support.
According to Moleni, the exercise has so far cost K7 billion, with development partners contributing K2 billion and the Malawi Government providing K5 billion.
“About K2 billion has come from our partners, while the Malawi Government has contributed K5 billion, bringing the total expenditure on the exercise to K7 billion,” he said.
Meanwhile, DoDMA has confirmed the death of a Malawian woman shortly after she crossed the Mwanza border during the repatriation exercise.
The incident marks the second reported female fatality under the voluntary evacuation programme.
Moleni said a clinical facility has been established at Mwanza to determine the cause of death, which remains unknown.
The first fatality involved another Malawian woman who died in Zimbabwe while travelling back to Malawi under the same programme. Moleni said both incidents are currently under review.
The ongoing repatriation exercise was launched in response to a wave of xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa, prompting thousands of Malawians to voluntarily return home.
