Some 105 Malawians displaced during recent attacks by their South African neighbours at a Durban informal settlement have requested to return home as soon as possible, a Durban city official has said.
The request was made despite calm being restored at the Burnwood informal settlement following an intervention from Durban Mayor Zandile Gumede and Gloria Bamusi, the Acting Malawi High Commissioner (Ambassador) to South Africa on Saturday.
According to a city statement on Monday, the majority of Malawians who had fled the “xenophobic attacks” at the informal settlement have returned to their homes after calm was restored the past few days.
Last Tuesday’s attacks on the foreigners started after a Malawian national was allegedly found in possession of stolen goods belonging to a South African.
“This unfortunate situation was then hijacked by a group of local South Africans who started kicking out other Malawians in the name of getting rid of ‘criminal elements’ from among them,” Gumede said in a statement.
As a sign of extending an olive branch to their hosts, the Malawians are said to have written a letter “apologising” for the person who had committed the crime.
This gesture was overwhelmingly welcomed by the locals who indicated that they were ready to welcome the Malawians back into the community, the mayor’s statement said.
“We have managed to return the situation to normality. Some 105 Malawians have asked to be repatriated. We are helping them together with the International Organisation for Immigration and the Malawi High Commission,” she said.
NM/as/APA