Mozambicans return to South Africa despite xenophobia

Despite the continuation of marches against foreign citizens, some Mozambicans are returning to South Africa. At the Baixa and Junta international bus terminals, transport associations manage to dispatch as many as five 15-seater passenger vehicles daily to various destinations across the “Land of the Rand.” Owner of a beauty salon in a peripheral neighborhood of Johannesburg, where she has worked for five years, Rosa Nhamue returned to Mozambique on July 30, the ultimatum deadline set by leaders of theMarch and Marchmovement for undocumented foreigners to return to their countries of origin. Twenty days later, amid doubts and reports, she boards a transport back to the country where she earns her livelihood: South Africa.

“Yes, I am going back to South Africa, because here in Mozambique there is no work, there is nothing,” she justified her decision. Regarding daily life in South Africa since the start of the marches, the entrepreneur explained that “in our area there are no protests, they are only marching.” Returning to South Africa, Fenias Mafumo is another Mozambican with no choice but to refrain from remaining for long periods on native soil due to his business activities in the Land of the Rand. He stated he received assurances from friends in that country that the situation has normalized, despite the continuation of marches every Thursday.

“You can enter South Africa. Xenophobia has seen a truce, it is not like in past days, although every Thursday there are marches, and that frightens people,” he reassured, explaining his choice of South Africa: “we are used to making a living in South Africa. In Mozambique there is no work, so we will see in South Africa.” International transporters, at both the Junta terminal and down in Maputo City (Baixa), report a relative movement of passengers seeking transport to South Africa.

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Jonas Fumo, from the association based at Junta, states that the situation has returned to normal: “We are now able to dispatch 3 to 5 vehicles per day. Ten days ago, we couldn’t even dispatch one or two vehicles.” Mozambique has served in recent days as the transit corridor for African citizens returning to their countries of origin.

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