Malawi Returnees Arrive Displaced After Fleeing South Africa

After enduring a tough three-day bus journey alongside 60 other migrants escaping a wave of anti-migrant protests in South Africa, Iweni Pachulu reached a soccer stadium in eastern Malawi, where he instinctively knelt to pray. He was finally in a place where he felt he belonged.

Armed with only a few essentials gathered during his four years in Africa’s largest economy—a plastic bag and a backpack filled with clothes—this 26-year-old shop attendant underwent a health assessment and received financial aid to travel to Machinga, a village situated 170 kilometers (106 miles) away.

“I return with nearly nothing. I don’t know how I will start anew, but at least I’m alive,” he expressed. “Everything I sent back from South Africa is gone. There was no time to collect my belongings; my main concern was to save myself.”

Pachulu is among tens of thousands of Black Africans displaced from South Africa—either through deportation or coercion—following protests where demonstrators have canvassed neighborhoods, pressing migrants to leave and blaming foreigners for job scarcity and inadequate government services.

Read: Over 53,000 foreigners have been deported or repatriated during the crackdown on illegal migration.

In reaction to these protests, the government has enacted stricter regulations concerning undocumented migrants. While citizens are cautioned against taking matters into their own hands, authorities have struggled to prevent violence and looting, resulting in at least four fatalities.

Historically, South Africa, known for its vibrant and diverse economy, has served as a sanctuary for migrants escaping poverty and conflict.

Since 2000, many Zimbabweans have crossed the border as failed land reforms triggered a prolonged economic crisis. Meanwhile, Malawi grapples with some of the highest poverty levels worldwide.

Though sporadic incidents of xenophobic hostility toward Black African migrants occur, the recent protests have been exceptionally organized and relentless.

Waiters, drivers

Protesters contend that the government has failed to create sufficient job opportunities in a nation with one in three individuals unemployed, expressing frustration over the presence of undocumented migrants working in roles such as waiters, delivery drivers, and construction laborers.

Concerns are also raised regarding overcrowded schools and overstretched public health systems.

Groups like March and March have set a self-imposed deadline of June 30 for all undocumented migrants to depart, culminating in nationwide protests on that day. Smaller demonstrations continue every Thursday.

Although a recent census revealed approximately 2.4 million foreign-born individuals among a total population of 63 million, the government claims it doesn’t possess accurate statistics on the undocumented migrant population, implying that actual numbers could be significantly higher.

Read: South Africa braces for an anti-immigrant shutdown on June 30.

Zimbabwe has reported over 100,000 nationals returning, while more than 53,000 Malawians have also departed South Africa. Mozambique, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana have actively facilitated the repatriation of their citizens by bus or plane.

Previously, many returnees sent remittances back home to support families in regions with limited job opportunities and widespread poverty.

On August 7, the European Union announced a humanitarian aid donation of $345,000 to assist the growing number of Zimbabwean returnees fleeing violence in South Africa, particularly during a cholera outbreak.

Government data indicates that Zimbabweans working in South Africa sent home $420 million in the first half of this year. Concurrently, the South African central bank recorded that Malawians transferred approximately $128 million in 2024; however, due to exchange regulations, much of this financial flow remains undocumented. The government of Malawi does not publish remittance data.

Read:
Conditions for Zimbabweans in South Africa have changed…
The UK has now overtaken South Africa as the leading source of remittances to Zimbabwe.

Shattered dreams

Now, many returnees find themselves facing a difficult choice: to try to return to South Africa or to confront the harsh realities of making a living in their home country.

In Malawi, 47% of the roughly 22 million population lives below the government’s poverty line of 1,563 kwacha per day, equivalent to less than a dollar at the official exchange rate and even lower at the frequently utilized parallel-market rate.

“I worked as a domestic helper, sending money home. My dream was to build a house,” recalled Grace Magombo as she stepped off the bus, explaining that she abandoned her vegetable business in Malawi to join her husband in South Africa at the beginning of 2025.

“That dream has been shattered. I return with nothing, no place to call my own. I have no foundation to build upon,” lamented the mother of three sons.

Anti-immigrant sentiments in South Africa have surged, and with important local elections approaching in November, political groups like Action SA, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, and the Patriotic Alliance have openly advocated for increased deportations.

Conversely, the ruling party, the African National Congress, has largely refrained from criticizing the protests.

During a national address, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the public’s grievances. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi pointed out that foreign workers frequently face exploitation by unscrupulous employers while urging against vigilantism.

In response to the recent unrest, she emphasized that South Africans who vandalized properties owned by foreigners have been apprehended.

Read: Fleeing migrants leave hard-to-fill vacancies in South Africa’s struggling economy.

“The government has never condoned citizens taking the law into their own hands,” stated Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

“We have consistently maintained that the responsibility lies with Home Affairs,” he added, expressing that incidents of violence are “deeply regrettable.”

A study conducted in May by South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council found a marked increase in anti-migrant sentiments among almost all but the wealthiest South Africans since the late 2010s.

In an Afrobarometer survey from August 5, 32% of South Africans indicated a desire to restrict foreign job seekers from entering the country, placing South Africa second only to Madagascar in a study of 38 African nations.

Nonetheless, despite the bleak prospects in Malawi, many returnees are hesitant to consider a return to South Africa due to the rising hostility they encounter.

“I wasted two years in South Africa. I will never return to that country,” declared Pichesi Pachulu, who traveled home by bus with his brother Iweni. “South Africa may have abundant opportunities, but the people are unfriendly.”

Others remain uncertain.

“If conditions improve, I might consider going back. My employer in South Africa suggested I take a break and return when things calm down,” shared shop worker James Wahela, who has been sending money back to his wife in a district near Malawi’s commercial hub, Blantyre.

“The reality is that South Africa offers more opportunities than Malawi. I believe I will ultimately find my way back for the sake of my family.”

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