DURBAN - Buses have arrived at Sherwood Hall to repatriate Malawian nationals.
They have been camped there for almost a month.
Women and children are leaving first, then more buses are expected to arrive to collect the men.
A Malawian national whose wife and child were leaving said he was excited.
"We are very happy. This is the beginning of the journey. We know that the women and children will go first," he said.
His wife said she cannot wait to go.
"Today I am very, very happy because I am going home. I have suffered for two weeks. Today I am happy that I am going to see my family.
"It is winter and my baby was getting sick. I am happy that I am going home and I can get medical services in our country, because here, they said we cannot go to the hospital because we are foreigners. Now I am free," she said.
But earlier, there were concerns over crowd control and the safety of the arranged transport.
ANC MP Imraan Subrathie said seven buses were on their way to Durban.
"There were two requirements, one was road-worthiness tests and two is what we called the CBPT, in other words, the cross-border permits and I've been informed by the director of Home Affairs here at the Sherwood Hall, where the process is taking place, that that has been issued and the arrival, I'm hoping, is imminent.
"My concern is that when the buses arrive, you could have crowds rushing to get onto the buses.
"What I really want to see is some level of Malawian officials controlling the crowd because I've been informed the buses are on the way, they have been issued their permits, so they could arrive any moment and you know, the first documented Malawian nationals we hope to dispatch them today."