Home Affairs officials in KwaZulu-Natal say none of the Malawian nationals processed for deportation at Durban’s Sherwood Hall have been linked to criminal activity.
Provincial Home Affairs Manager Cyril Mncwabe says South African Police Service fingerprint experts are screening every male migrant appearing in court as part of the deportation process.
Authorities say the screening process was introduced to ensure that undocumented foreign nationals with possible criminal records are identified before deportation.
Mncwabe says, “There are policemen, the SAPS, they are working inside here getting those fingerprints, they are specialist experts. They are checking each and every person we are taking to court, especially the males. Fortunately no one has been linked to any crime or being a wanted person…”
“So they are doing that. Every male person that is being taken to court that would eventually be deported has already been checked for fingerprints by the SAPS.”
More than 1,200 Malawian nationals displaced by anti-undocumented-foreigner protests are expected to return to Malawi this weekend through an ongoing voluntary repatriation programme.
According to Malawi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, eight buses carrying 560 people have already departed from South Africa.
Authorities say a further 10 buses transporting about 700 returnees left yesterday. The group is expected to enter Malawi through the Mwanza Border Post before undergoing processing in Blantyre and being transported to their respective home districts.
Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs has confirmed that several Malawian women awaiting repatriation have given birth at Sherwood Hall.
The facility is currently accommodating thousands of Malawian nationals who fled their homes in KwaZulu-Natal amid alleged threats targeting undocumented migrants.
Many have been staying at the site for nearly two weeks, with officials reporting growing overcrowding and deteriorating sanitary conditions.
Mncwabe says, “The last day I knew it was 12. The babies that were born here on site, and the last 2 of the 12, it was just a day before yesterday.”
Authorities continue to manage the repatriation process while monitoring conditions at the facility. -Reporting by Gcinokuhle Malinga
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