Don’t make this a refugee camp: Officals keeping an eye on Malawians who fled to Joburg consulate [VIDEO]
· Citizen
Malawian and South African officials are on alert in Johannesburg to prevent a gathering outside the consulate from turning into a make-shift refugee camp like the one seen in KZN recently.
Thousands of Malawian nationals began camping at Durban’s Drive‑In site since earlier this month after fleeing their homes amid anti-illegal immigration protests. The province’s government confirmed on Saturday that the group was now being relocated to a new Temporary Repatriation Processing Centre in Musina, Limpopo.
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Looking for a way out
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, dozens have fled to the Malawian Consulate General in Sandton, Johannesburg, asking for their government to help them leave SA.
Among those gathered were women and children.
They told The Citizen, they are seeking urgent repatriation ahead of anti-illegal immigration threats targeting undocumented migrants, and have been relying on humanitarian aid and NGOs for food and essentials while stranded in cold conditions.
Diplomatic Police Unit officers on the scene distributed food, nappies, and other resources donated by communities.
People lined up to receive food from large white buckets, unconcerned by the queue that stretched several meters.
Others took advantage of warmer weather to sit on a patch of grass across from the consulate, chatting among themselves.
Not far from the scene, small groups of mostly women sat on the pavement, alongside the bags that held all they had left of their time in South Africa.
For many, it has been many years of hardship, and the impending 30 June “deadline” for undocumented migrants to leave SA is just too much to risk.
‘They told us they will kill us one by one’
One of those outside is James Mackie.
He is from the East of Johannesburg and has been in and out of South Africa since 2012.
As tension builds over illegal immigration, John and his friends were told that if they did not leave the area they were living in, they would be killed.
“The people here come from all over Johannesburg, Boksburg, Pretoria, and we were all chased from the areas we lived in. We were told we must leave before 30 June or they will make sure we are killed one by one.
“It is cold, and many of us don’t have jackets. Some didn’t even have blankets or bags because they were forced from their homes and all their belongings stolen.”
“We all made our way here individually, and we are all looking for protection. We don’t want food or shelter; we just want to go back to our country.”
Part of his frustration is that the Consul General has not addressed them, and his office has not even acknowledged they are there.
“They haven’t said anything. They haven’t come out to welcome us. They didn’t say what they will do for us; they won’t even open the gate.
“There are women who have children and some who are pregnant. We are very worried about them.”
He said the anxiety is being felt thousands of kilometres away, too.
“I have three children back home. My children, wife and parents back home are crying. I sent them pictures of what it is like here, and they ask me to get back home, but I don’t know how.”
Warning about setting up camp
While Consul General Max Biwi has not spoken to his countryman and is not in the province at the moment, because he is coordinating repatriation efforts in KZN, he has reportedly told officials in Gauteng not to allow a repeat of the scenes in Durban.
Two portable toilets have been set up, but officials are watching to make sure no tents are erected, and surveillance is tight.
Some of the women and children who were outside the consulate on Friday have since been taken to a shelter in another part of the city, while others were taken to Lindela to start the repatriation process.