22 June 2026
500 Malawians have had to shelter at church and NGOs in Johannesburg as they await repatriation. Photo: Seth Thorne
About 500 Malawians, mostly women and children, were left stranded due to permit issues with the buses meant to repatriate them.
The crisis began when people, who thought they were being repatriated to Malawi on four buses from Cape Town and three from Durban, were taken to Johannesburg instead, because the buses lacked the permits required to cross the border. They were dropped at the Malawian consulate in Sandton on the weekend.
The group has since found temporary shelter at a church, while authorities work to finalise their journey home.
This comes as the Department of Home Affairs is scrambling to accommodate, process, and either repatriate or thousands of immigrants in Durban.
According to Tessa Dooms, a representative of community organisations and NGOs assisting the group, Home Affairs officials said they were initially unaware of the situation, believing all repatriation buses had already left the country.
Dooms said NGOs immediately stepped in to provide food and water for people who had expected to already be across the border.
The group was first accommodated at a small church in Newlands, offered by a Malawian pastor, but the venue soon proved too small to reasonably accommodate hundreds of people, and the sudden arrival raised concerns among Joburg residents who gathered at the church, according to Dooms.
The group was moved to another church. Mike Tembo, a church leader, said they are caring for about 500 people, providing shelter, food, and blankets.
Some babies have also been born during this displacement period and received medical assistance from Doctors Without Borders.
“Every migrant we’ve spoken to within the last 24 hours has been very clear that … they want to go home,” said Dooms.
Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said in a social media statement on Monday that all buses processed through official government channels are escorted by law enforcement to the border and that none had dropped passengers elsewhere in South Africa.
Kubayi described reports of immigrants being dropped at various locations as “inhumane and unlawful”, and said a full statement would be issued once all the facts had been gathered.
Cyril Mngcwabe, KwaZulu-Natal Home Affairs manager, said those offloaded in Johannesburg must still be confirmed by the Malawian government.
Officials say the remaining group should be repatriated shortly.
NGOs, Home Affairs, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Malawian High Commission are collaborating in the repatriation process.
