DOHA, QATAR - The Middle East conflict isn’t distant news for some South Africans as many find themselves right in the middle of it.
Zinhle Mbatha is currently stranded in Doha after her connecting flight to Dublin was cancelled.
She and other travellers were left waiting as the airport shut down.
READ | Business as usual: SA expats describe life amid Middle East strikes
Mbatha landed in Doha on Friday with a five-to six-hour layover before continuing her journey.
But while waiting to check in for her flight, passengers were suddenly told wait.
She said, sirens went off followed by announcments, triggering panic among travellers.
"We were told that we would have to book ourselves hotels and sleep there for the night because the airport would be shutting down."
Mbatha said she immediately went in shock as this was her first time travelling to see her sisters.
Mbatha says she has been forced to fend for herself, relying on live location sharing so her sisters can track her movements.
READ | SA expats stranded as flights cancelled amid Middle East conflict
She said she has reached out to the South African Embassy but have been met with a dead end.
Mbatha is now pleading to get assistance to reach the South African Embassy to get guidance on what to do.
" It will ease our pain of not knowing what is going on, "she said.
But Mbatha is not the only one.
South African musician Money Mike is trapped in Beirut. He’s terrified and running out of options.
The musician says repeated pleas for help to the South African embassy have gone unanswered leaving him stranded in a city being bombarded with missiles.
Mike is making a desperate appeal to get home safely as the conflict around him intensifies.