JOHANNESBURG - More than 15,000 Malawian nationals have been processed for deportation and repatriation since the anti-migrant protests began.
This was according to the Inter-Ministerial Committee, which briefed on migration, which said thousands more are still undergoing verification before they can be deported.
Minister of Justice Mmamoloko Kubayi said that, given the gravity of the situation, government introduced urgent measures to speed up the verification and deportation process.
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“We have made a decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Musina Refugee Reception Office in the Limpopo province to also conduct verifications. We have, as a result, activated all logistical arrangements related to the repatriation of foreign nationals in Musina,” she said.
The minister also painted a grim picture of conditions at Sherwood Hall, a site where large numbers of Malawian nationals gathered to board buses back home.
At least 12 babies have been born to Malawian women who are among the thousands currently at Sherwood Hall in Durban awaiting repatriation.
READ | Dozen babies born as Malawian repatriation drags in Durban
eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba had previously outlined a range of critical interventions established to accelerate the processing of the group who have been accommodated at this site for a prolonged period.
These interventions, he said, seek to stabilise the situation at the site, reduce humanitarian and public health risk, support the ongoing processing of migrants and expedite the deportation process.
Describing the scene, Kubayi said the Malawian nationals' situation had become untenable in terms of numbers and the humanitarian emergencies that had arisen thereafter.
“We had to make interventions to ensure that we are able to fulfil our obligations in this regard, as South Africa. In terms of our international obligations as well, but within our own legal framework.