About 100 buses are needed to help bring back over 7,000 people from Malawi, who have moved to Sherwood, Durban, because they want to be returned to their country. This follows an increase in the number of people flocking to this area to be returned to Malawi.
The increase in the number has made the team of ministers in charge of borders in the country, call on businessmen to contribute to the return of the Malawians.
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Ms. Mmamoloko Kubayi, told the media at a press conference yesterday, that previously 84 buses were needed to bring back Malawians, the government will fund 10 buses. He said when they visited this place last week, there were 5,000 people in this place.
“The minister’s delegation visited Che Guevara Road (formerly known as Moore Road) in Durban, where immigrants who want to be returned to their countries were sleeping. There are 457 of them and three of them were in this country illegally. Others who are in this country legally, we need them to return to society or be taken to Lindela, Johannesburg, to be returned to their countries.”
He said they then proceeded to Sherwood where there are about 7,000 people from Malawi, who want to return to their country.
“We have no plans to have temporary centers to deport immigrants. We take people who want to be returned to their countries to Lindela, so that they can be returned to their countries. The program to return Malawians is done in collaboration with the government of that country.”
Mr Njabulo Nzuza, the Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Home Affairs, said that none of the Che Guevara assassins in Durban accepted the proposal to be taken to Lindela, to be returned to their countries.
“We have told them that we cannot protect them on their own when they return to the community because they will not have the police to watch over them only. The police will watch over the entire community as it happens but there is no special program that will be done for them when they return to the community,” he said. He said there were 1,140 people who found that they had gone missing in Sherwood.
Ms. Kubayi said that since January this year, 40,000 people have been arrested. He advised those who want to return to their countries to go to the offices of the Ministry of Home Affairs, so that they can be helped with repatriation.
“Only those in the Ministry of Home Affairs have the right to see a person who is in the country legally and who has defected. If it is done according to the plan of this Department, those who have defected will be banned from entering the country for five years. That is why it is important to work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to know those who are banned from entering the country because if they leave illegally, we will not know their number.”
He also warned those who are seeking permits to stay in the country for foreigners that they do not have the right to do this.
“People have the right to take a person they suspect of being in the country illegally to the security agencies. They have no right to threaten them because that is a crime they are committing. People have the right to march but follow the law. If they march and damage happens, the organizers of the march will see what is put on their shoulders for the cost of the damage,” said Ms. Kubayi.
He also warned employers to stop hiring illegals who do not have permits.