Mixed emotions engulfed the Joyce Chitsulo Stadium on Sunday when over 3,000 Malawians who have been repatriated from South Africa due to Afrophobia-related attacks were being welcomed home.
One of the repatriated people, Mina Jabulani from Mangochi District, said while in South Africa, they were earning a living through businesses and technical works such as tailoring.
“Life will now be tough in Malawi because everything I had has been left in South Africa.
“We are pleading with the government and other well-wishers to still hold our hand because we do not have anywhere to start from,” she said.
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James Biziwick from Chiradzulu District said a lot of them did not have anywhere to start from.
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“Most people have been jobless in South Africa for some months now and they do not have anything left. They should be helped quickly,” he said.
The people were welcomed at the stadium by government officials led by Foreign Affairs Minister George Chaponda, who said the government would make sure that they were well taken care of.
“The government has structures such as technical colleges where some of them can enroll. We also have soft loans from Medf [Malawi Enterprise Development Fund], where I have encouraged them to apply so that they establish businesses,” Chaponda said.
During the welcoming ceremony in Mwanza, members of the Hindu Community handed over a donation of items worth K30 million to be distributed to the people as they start a new life.
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The community’s Blantyre Chairperson Suresh Gandhi said they rendered the helping hand after sensing how tough life would be for the people.
“We are asking other organisations to do the same because these people need our help and this is the best time to help them,” Ghandi said.
As of 26 June, 6,936 Malawians have been repatriated from South Africa. These include 3,602 women, 123 pregnant women and 408 children aged between five to 15 years.
