A group of 150 Malawians, repatriated from South Africa amid growing fears of xenophobia, is expected to arrive home by road on Monday, Malawian authorities said. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.
The repatriation followed violence in South Africa's Western Cape province, where just over a week ago there were reports of door-to-door intimidation and the deaths of two Mozambicans in Mossel Bay.
The Malawians were "among a number of foreign nationals" who "sought refuge in temporary camps" in Mossel Bay, according to a statement from Lilongwe.
Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe have also organised repatriation flights and transport after expressing concern about xenophobia in South Africa.
Anti-migrant groups are demanding that illegal migrants leave the country and set a deadline of 30 June.
In a national address on Sunday aimed at easing tensions, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a series of new measures to tackle illegal migration. But he also warned South Africans not to take the law into their own hands. He said there was "no place for xenophobia, racism, sexism, afrophobia or any other form of intolerance" in the country.
A group of 74 Zimbabweans arrived home on Sunday after being bussed out of Mossel Bay on transport organised by Zimbabwean authorities. Some families with young children say they fled the Western Cape fearing for their safety.
Late last month, Ghana organised a repatriation flight from Johannesburg for nearly 300 of its citizens. A group of about 680 people arrived in Ghana's capital Accra over the weekend.
On Saturday, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola accused his Ghanaian counterpart of spreading misinformation about xenophobia in South Africa. In a post on X, referring to an interview Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa gave to a news channel in Accra, Lamola called what he heard "deeply disappointing".
Ablakwa told Joy News he was proud of the solidarity Ghanaians had shown in supporting their compatriots. He also spoke about reports of killings of foreigners after attacks in South Africa and repeated a call for the African Union (AU) to investigate what was happening.
In response, Lamola disputed claims that two Nigerians and five Mozambicans had died in separate acts of violence. On Ablakwa's remarks that a number of Ghanaians were in South African hospitals after attacks, Lamola said his government "does not have such information".
Ablakwa also said his government had asked South Africa to pay compensation to repatriated Ghanaians for property they left behind.
As part of Ramaphosa's plan to tackle illegal migration, the president said the deportation of illegal migrants would be accelerated. To help cover the cost of deportations, South Africa is now considering asking various home countries for money, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Njabulo Nzuza said on Radio 702.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has postponed the first planned evacuation flight for 270 of its citizens, which was due to depart on Monday. Nigerian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kimiebi Imotimi Ebienfa said the evacuation had been "rescheduled to Wednesday... due to unforeseen logistical considerations".
Officials say more than 500 Nigerians have already been screened and cleared to return as part of broader government measures in response to anti-migrant tensions in South Africa. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has approved a total of five evacuation flights, and screening and registration of affected citizens have been extended to Wednesday as authorities continue processing applications.
Additional reporting by Makuochi Okafor and Shingai Nyoka.