Malawi
Hundreds of Malawi nationals gathered outside their country’s embassy in Johannesburg on Tuesday as the forced return of migrants continued.
Waiting in line was Bashil Austin, who called on the government of his country to help people like him who feel threatened by the situation in South Africa and want to return home.
South African officials on Sunday said they had deported or repatriated more than 53,000 African immigrants in the space of a month.
The crackdown coincided with a series of sometimes violent protests against illegal migration.
Over 80% of the immigrants sent home were from Malawi
But officials did not give a breakdown of how many were deported and how many took up offers of voluntary repatriation.
Several African countries have provided transport to bring their citizens home during the surge in anti-immigrant sentiment that sparked some attacks against foreigners and left parts of South Africa on edge.
The deaths of at least three migrants — two from Mozambique and one from Malawi — are being investigated by South African police.
Nigeria says two of its citizens were killed in anti-immigrant protests in South Africa, though South African authorities have denied their deaths were linked to the protests.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last month announced new plans to strengthen border security and enforce immigration laws in Africa’s most developed economy.
He acknowledged tensions over the issue in response to the protests by anti-migrant groups who claim, without evidence, that immigrants contributed to a high unemployment rate and problems with crime.
The crackdown on migrants caused diplomatic tensions with some of the migrants’ home countries, which criticized South Africa for what they call a climate of xenophobia.
The anti-migrant groups held their latest major protest on June 30, which they said was the deadline for undocumented immigrants in South Africa to leave, a deadline the government rejected.
But it still prompted thousands of Malawians to gather at a temporary immigration site in the eastern city of Durban seeking repatriation.
South African officials said some were repatriated voluntarily with the help of Malawian authorities, but many were officially deported for being in the country without documents.
South Africa has long attracted migrants from other African nations because of its relative wealth — a
