WATCH | Ntuli criticises Malawi as displaced nationals overwhelm PMB shelters

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has expressed disappointment with the Malawian government for failing to assist in the repatriation of its citizens, as the number of displaced Malawian nationals seeking refuge in Pietermaritzburg continues to grow.

An estimated 1 600 Malawian nationals are being housed at the Mayor’s Walk holding site, where scores of people continued arriving on Monday carrying luggage and personal belongings.

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The influx follows the killing of a 29-year-old Malawian national at the Jika Joe informal settlement last Friday, an incident that triggered fears among foreign nationals and prompted many to seek voluntary repatriation.

Provincial authorities have described conditions at the site as a humanitarian crisis, with resources and accommodation coming under increasing strain.

Our main interest is to assist them to get back to their country. The situation in Mayor’s Walk has reached a humanitarian crisis.

“We need to find better accommodation for these people,” Ntuli said.

He said the provincial government was working to relocate those sheltering at the site within two to three days while processing requests from individuals seeking to return to Malawi.

Many of those gathered had voluntarily admitted they were in South Africa without the required documentation and had asked government to facilitate their return home.

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“These people have requested that we assist them to take them back to their country. We are grateful for the work done by non-profit organisations in providing humanitarian help to these people.

“I am disappointed with the Malawian government for not providing transport for its people,” Ntuli said.

His remarks came as Malawian officials called on the South African government and the Department of Home Affairs to establish an additional temporary processing facility in Pietermaritzburg, arguing that the province’s two existing facilities, both in Durban, are insufficient to handle the growing number of people seeking voluntary repatriation.

Malawi’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Stella Ndau, declined to outline measures being taken by her government to address the crisis, but blamed corruption among some South African government officials for contributing to the influx of undocumented migrants.

The provincial government is also facing concerns over the occupation of a state-owned building in Msunduzi by about 1 200 Malawians.

The structure, owned by KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure, has stood vacant for years.

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Conditions inside are deteriorating, with broken windows, some rooms without roofs exposing families to the winter cold, while men, women and children share cramped spaces.

KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer said engineers had identified serious safety risks at the structure, and discussions were under way with Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber and provincial authorities on how to address the situation.

Msunduzi Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla said the municipality aimed to close the Mayor’s Walk site within three days as registration and profiling of Malawian nationals continued to facilitate their transfer to Lindela for repatriation.

He said Mayor’s Walk was not an official accommodation site and had not been approved as a formal settlement.

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To address immediate humanitarian needs, the municipality had provided water tanks, increased security through SAPS and private security, installed temporary ablution facilities and deployed a mobile clinic for vulnerable groups.