By Vincent Gunde
Disturbing video clip making rounds in various media platforms is showing Malawians caught up in South Africa after being found with no proper documentations are packed together like heaps of maize bags waiting to be sold to customers.
The video clip is showing Malawians helplessly living at Lindela Prison and reports are indicating that the South African government after noticing that food and water are becoming a challenge at the prison, hired about 8 buses to carry these Malawians back home.
The reports say after the deportees arrived at the Beit Bridge on their way back to Malawi, the Malawi High Commissioner to South Africa Stella Chilipo Ndau rejected to issue travel documents and they were sent back to Lindera prison.
Karonga based rights activist Comrade Lytone Mangochi said the South African government released the Malawians to go back home to their country but the High Commissioners office in South Africa rejected this citing money as standing block to issue travel documents to Malawi.
Mangochi said these Malawians did not go to South Africa to play but in search of greener pastures after seeing that life in Malawi is very expensive under President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s MCP government where U-Fresh is being sold at K1000 from K80 and soya pieces from K60 to K800.
He said what is very worrisome is that President Chakwera is seeming to be not aware that Malawians in South Africa are being caught and arrested by Police and Home Affairs ministries for entering South Africa without travel documents.
He said Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo is quiet, no one in Chakwera’s government wants to speak about the sufferings Malawians are going through in South Africa asking President Chakwera to intervene
The activist has asked President Chakwera, Nancy Tembo, Stella Chilipo Ndau to Save the Malawian Souls observing that they did not commit crimes in Malawi and if they have committed offenses warranting to detention without trial is travelling to South Africa for greener pastures.
“How do you feel in your hearts to learn that Malawian citizens are being tortured, abused, beaten in South Africa,” said Mangochi.
He has thanked organizations such as One voice one Malawi and Four Regions for doing their best in supporting these Malawians at Lindera Prison with food and water expressing hope that other Malawian organizations would join in as Government of Malawi as already been proved that it has no welfare at heart for the Malawians living in South Africa.
