Foreign nationals stranded weeks after March and March deadline passes

Protesters march during an anti-migration demonstration in Norwood on July 11, 2026. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP) Nearly a month after the national March and March movement’s 30 June deadline, many foreign nationals from Malawi and Nigeria are still waiting to return home. Three weeks after the initial march, hundreds of foreigners continue to arrive at the Malawi high commission to catch a bus back home.

Yosef Mustafa, from the Institute for Islamic Services, who serves lunch to the waiting foreigners, said just as they thought the situation was getting better, it was getting worse. “Two days ago, we experienced an unfortunate incident when newborn babies were brought in from Potchefstroom, twins who were held with their parents at the embassy, are now sleeping outside in the cold. “There are many pregnant women.

While we were feeding them, two fainted and had to be taken to hospital,” Mustafa said. He added it was sad that there was nothing more the embassy could do for the women, especially the pregnant women sleeping in the cold. “We are hoping for the best and the situation to subside,” he said.

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A Delareyville, North West, farmer, who didn’t want to be named for fear of reprisals, said he drove to the high commission to help his worker struggling to reapply for his work permit because his passport expires in six months. “The other workers were at the busy department of home affairs to try and get answers,” he added. The farmer said he immediately sent one of his workers who did not have a permit home when the unrest broke earlier in the month. “The problem is many of these foreigners have been working for me for years and have become part of the business and know what they do.

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