MEDIA STATEMENT BY ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY MAYOR, COUNCILLOR CYRIL XABA ON THE REPATRIATION AND DEPORTATION OF MALAWIAN NATIONALS
Good day, ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for attending this media briefing to update the public on the latest developments regarding the repatriation and deportation of Malawian nationals.
The South African Government, working together with the Malawian High Commission, is making significant progress in ensuring that Malawian nationals who have remained at the Sherwood site for extended periods are repatriated and deported in an orderly and humane manner.
We wish to convey our sincere gratitude to all stakeholders, including all spheres of government, non-profit organisations, faith-based organisations, and the community, for their tireless efforts in helping us find a sustainable solution to this challenge.
RELOCATION OF WOMEN TO THE DRIVE INN SITE
Earlier this week, we announced that we had secured a second site, the Drive-Inn, where we are gathered today.
This site will serve as a temporary staging area to help fast-track the deportation and repatriation process.
The Sherwood site will remain operational.
One of the advantages of the Drive-Inn site is that access can be effectively controlled, which will help minimise the movement of people and enable us to conduct an accurate headcount of those requiring assistance.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Ward 26 community, including both residents and businesses, for their cooperation and support in establishing this site.
I also want to reiterate that this is not intended to be a permanent facility.
Government has made it clear that it has no intention of establishing refugee camps.
This situation required urgent intervention, and government acted to provide a practical and sustainable solution.
We have already begun relocating vulnerable groups to this site, including women, children, and individuals with health challenges.
The following services have been deployed to improve humanitarian conditions at the site:
• Two 5 000 capacity marquees, meals, and other basic necessities donated by non-governmental organisations.
• Water, electricity, waste skips, ablution facilities, and a medical facility staffed by healthcare workers, and buses to transport people from Sherwood to this site all provided by the Municipality.
• Law enforcement personnel continues to do sterling work in maintaining law and order at the Sherwood site, including providing escorts for buses travelling to court and to this facility.
We are grateful to officials from the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development for the excellent work they have done in the past few days in processing individuals.
To date, close to 4 000 people have been deported or repatriated.
We have seen a significant improvement in the pace of deportations.
Yesterday alone, we were able to dispatch eight buses carrying 784 people returning to Malawi.
To speed up the process, we have now migrated from deportation to repatriation which has several advantages.
This process is less bureaucratic as it is implemented through cooperation with the Malawian government and it does not require court processes.
The South African government has made available 20 busses to expedite repatriation.
Once again, we extend our sincere appreciation to all stakeholders for working with us to find a sustainable and humane solution to this challenge.
I thank you.
