Malawians Flee Xenophobic Violence in South Africa, Flood Home

Luchenza, Malawi – When Janet Kapito left Lolo village for South Africa in 2022, she hoped to save enough to buy land and build a house back home. Instead, the 27-year-old mother of three returned with her eight-month-old baby and little else after fleeing xenophobic violence. Even the few belongings she managed to carry were stolen from one of the buses taking Malawians home before a June 30 deadline.

“I stayed indoors when the protests started and couldn’t work,” Kapito told Al Jazeera. Standing beside the unfinished foundation of the house she had hoped to build, Kapito said she earned 2,000 rand a month working at a Nigerian-owned restaurant. Her voice was barely audible. She said dust from the open field where she took shelter during the attacks had affected her throat. Her husband, a Malawian she met in South Africa, is still on his way home. Penniless, Kapito received 70,000 Malawian kwacha (about $40) after arriving at Kamuzu Stadium, where returnees are processed before going home.

Returning Empty-Handed

The Malawian government is helping repatriate thousands of citizens, many of whom worked for years in South Africa’s informal sector. Donors have also contributed funds to bring stranded Malawians home. Local media reports that 6,936 Malawians have returned since the repatriation drive began. In a previous statement, Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management estimated about 10,000 Malawians in South Africa were affected and said it had activated a “comprehensive response plan” to ensure a “safe, orderly and dignified” return. South African authorities said they have processed the deportation and repatriation of 15,162 Malawian nationals.

Many returnees told Al Jazeera they borrowed money at high interest to reach South Africa and are still struggling to repay loans after COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted livelihoods. They described fleeing their homes with nothing and sheltering in an open field in Durban as attacks on foreigners escalated.

Repatriation Crisis

For 33-year-old Thokozani Mphola, from Lomola in Thyolo district, leaving South Africa became a matter of survival. “I said if I’m going to die, let me die at home,” Mphola told Al Jazeera shortly after arriving back, where neighbors and friends embraced her outside her mother’s house in Luchenza. Mphola moved to South Africa in 2024 and found work at a small factory packing roasted peanuts. “Surviving in South Africa is very hard, but I could buy food, pay rent, and send money to my mother to raise my children,” she said. “When I got my last salary, I used it to pay for my trip home.” She said she saw foreigners being beaten on the streets and has no intention of returning, even if the protests subside. “I came back with just a few clothes, but I’m relieved to be home,” she said. “I wanted to build a house here, but that’s impossible now. I’ll start a small business if I can find some capital.”

Rising Tensions and Returnees

Malawian community sources in South Africa told Al Jazeera that election periods often coincide with renewed xenophobic rhetoric and attacks. Some returnees refused to speak to reporters. Being deported from South Africa to Malawi, where the official unemployment rate remains high, is often seen as shameful, and many struggle to reintegrate after returning. But the recent violence means Malawi expects to receive thousands more citizens in the coming weeks.

One of the first to return was Idrissah Akilemu, a father of two in his 30s, who was greeted by government officials upon arrival in Malawi. He said his house in Johannesburg was set ablaze during a night raid by protesters targeting foreigners. “I realized it was war, not a protest, because protests happen during the day. These people attacked us at night,” Akilemu told reporters after reaching Malawi. “I’m grateful to be here. I never thought I would survive.” He hopes to raise enough money to start a small business after losing everything. Even the clothes in his bag were donated by well-wishers while he sheltered in a community hall awaiting deportation. “We understand it’s their country, but look at us now,” Akilemu said. “We return like children because everything we worked for was looted or burned. It’s very sad.”