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The Nigerian government says it has postponed plans to send an evacuation flight to South Africa until Wednesday due to logistical challenges, according to Wetin officials.
The DI aircraft, which were expected to leave Johannesburg with about 270 passengers on Monday evening, was not delayed so officials are finalizing DIA operational arrangements for the repatriation exercise.
The acting director of Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimibi Imomotimi Abianfa, has rescheduled the evacuation to Wednesday, June 10, due to “unforeseen logistical considerations.”
According to the Nigeria in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), over 1,000 Nigerians have so far been screened and cleared to return home from South Africa, part of the government's response to rising anti-migrant violence and riots through South African nationals targeting foreign nationals in the country.
President Bola Tinubu has approved a total of five evacuation flights for South Africa as the screening and registration of Nigerian citizens was extended to Wednesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says they will announce more details on departure and arrival times for Lagos once they receive final approval.
When a similar Kasala bin hit South Africa in 2019, Alan Onyeama, a Nigerian businessman, sent his plane to transport Nigerians for free.
Howewa, Foreign Affairs Tok-Tok Pesin, Kimibi Abianfa, told BBC News Pidgin at a press conference last month that the Nigerian government should not wait for philanthropists to donate Dia aircraft, what the dam should do at this time is to evacuate Dia citizens facing trouble in any part of the world.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian government says it is seeking to repatriate a second batch of Indian nationals from South Africa, with about 350 Pipo arriving in Accra this weekend.
This brings the total number of Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa to over 600, and more are expected to return in the coming weeks as part of an ongoing repatriation program due to security concerns.
Officials say all returnees must undergo screening and will be registered as of their arrival at Accra Airport.
The District Ministry of External Affairs says the actual contingency budget allocation for the evacuation has been funded, and has also urged local businesses to support the reintegration of returnees by providing employment opportunities.
The ministry has also asked them to consider legal steps to seek compensation for Indian nationals who have allegedly lost property or suffered damage to their businesses during the recent riots in South Africa.
Similarly, the government of Malawi, which shares a border with South Africa, also publishes photographs of Indian citizens who have been deported from the country after crossing the land border with South Africa.
“150 Malawian citizens of South Africa are undergoing immigration formalities at the Beitbridge border post as they make their way home under the government's voluntary repatriation exercise,” said a government post on DIA's official Facebook page on Monday morning.
Through this photo, Malawi Government/Facebook
Ramaphosa addresses the nation over protests against foreign nationals
The developments all came to light when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made a nationwide broadcast on Sunday to address the issue of illegal migration in the country.
“We must end illegal migration, we must tackle the challenges. We reject the notion that we must tolerate illegal migration. We can enforce our laws, we can secure our communities. We can overcome the problem of illegal migration,” Ramaphosa said on the broadcast.
Houeva says that South Africans should not take any action against foreign nationals and every ODA, but rather they should “overcome the challenges with true peace and love, not true fear, anger or violence”.
Ramaphosa acknowledges that migration is a global issue that affects many countries around the world and even South Africa, as the history of many countries is the product of migration, “yet we must recognize that illegal immigration is not the cause of all our economic challenges”.
According to President Ramaphosa, the solution to some of South Africa's problems is faster economic growth, more investment, industrial expansion, infrastructure development and the creation of lots of new jobs.
Ramaphosa has taken some measures to address illegal migration into the country.
The plan includes securing India's borders and closing loopholes to be exploited by undocumented immigrants, cracking down on illegal workers and deporting illegal immigrants living in South Africa, and targeting employers who employ illegal immigrants and increasing Indian penalties with prison sentences.
ODA is taking measures to strengthen the immigration system with technology, expanding biometrics to international airports and ODA's busy seaports, and establishing digital registration to make it harder to manipulate immigration processes.