Malawi Returnees Arrive with Nothing After Fleeing South Africa

As Iweni Pachulu stepped off the bus at a soccer stadium in eastern Malawi, he knelt down and prayed. After an exhausting three-day journey with 60 others fleeing a wave of anti-migrant protests in South Africa, he had finally returned home.

All he carried were a few belongings salvaged from his four years in Africa’s largest economy—a plastic bag and a backpack filled with clothes. The 26-year-old shop worker underwent a health assessment and received financial assistance for transport to Machinga, a village situated 170 kilometers (106 miles) away.

“I return with almost nothing. I don’t know how I will rebuild my life, but at least I am alive,” he said. “Everything I had sent back from South Africa was left behind. There was no time to collect my things; my only priority was to save my life.”

Pachulu is among tens of thousands of Black Africans displaced from South Africa—whether through deportation or fleeing in fear—as protesters took to the streets, even going door-to-door demanding that migrants leave. They accuse foreigners of contributing to rising unemployment and inadequate government services.

Read: More than 53,000 foreigners deported or repatriated in the crackdown on illegal migration

In reaction to the protests, the government has intensified enforcement against undocumented migrants. While citizens are cautioned against taking matters into their own hands, authorities have struggled to curb incidents of violence and looting, resulting in at least four fatalities.

Historically, South Africa, known for its diverse and expansive economy, has attracted migrants from impoverished and conflict-affected countries.

Since 2000, many Zimbabweans have crossed the border due to a failed land reform that triggered a prolonged economic crisis. By contrast, Malawi grapples with some of the highest poverty levels worldwide.

While xenophobic tensions against Black African migrants occasionally erupt, the ongoing protests have been remarkably organized and persistent.

Waiters, drivers

Protesters contend that the government has not sufficiently created jobs in a country where one in three individuals is unemployed, voicing anger over the large number of undocumented migrants working as waiters, delivery drivers, and in construction.

They have also expressed concerns about overcrowded schools and strained public health systems.

Organizations 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. Demonstrations continue each Thursday, albeit on a smaller scale.

While the last census estimated approximately 2.4 million foreign-born individuals in a nation of 63 million, the government claims it lacks precise data on the undocumented migrant population, implying that the actual numbers may be significantly higher.

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

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

Many returnees had been sending remittances back home to support families in regions with fewer job opportunities and widespread poverty.

On August 7, the European Union announced a donation of $345,000 in humanitarian aid “to help support the increased number of Zimbabwean returnees fleeing violence in South Africa” during a cholera outbreak.

During the first half of this year, Zimbabweans working in South Africa sent back $420 million, according to government statistics. The South African central bank indicated that Malawians transferred around $128 million in 2024; however, due to exchange controls, much of this financial flow remains untracked. The government of Malawi does not provide remittance statistics.

Read:
Conditions for Zimbabweans in South Africa have shifted…
The UK has now become the top source of remittances to Zimbabwe, surpassing South Africa

Shattered dreams

Now, many returnees are grappling with the decision of whether to attempt returning to South Africa or confront the harsh realities of making a living in their homeland.

In Malawi, 47% of the roughly 22 million population lives below the government’s poverty threshold of 1,563 kwacha per day, which translates to less than a dollar at the official exchange rate and even less at the more commonly used parallel-market rate.

“I worked as a domestic helper, sending money home. My goal was to build a house,” Grace Magombo recalled after stepping off the bus, explaining that she left her vegetable-selling business in Malawi to join her husband in South Africa at the start of 2025.

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

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

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

During a national address, President Cyril Ramaphosa voiced understanding for the public’s frustrations. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi noted that foreign workers often face exploitation from unscrupulous employers while urging against vigilantism.

Addressing the issue late last month, she stressed that South Africans who looted properties owned by foreigners were apprehended.

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

“The government has never endorsed citizens taking the law into their own hands,” declared 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 continued, noting that instances of violence are “deeply regrettable.”

A study conducted in May by South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council indicated a significant rise in anti-migrant sentiments among nearly all but the wealthiest South Africans since the late 2010s.

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

However, despite scarce opportunities in Malawi, many returnees hesitate to contemplate a return to South Africa due to the increasing hostility they encounter.

“I wasted two years in South Africa. I will never return to that country,” declared Pichesi Pachulu, who came back on the bus with his brother Iweni. “South Africa may have many opportunities, but the people are difficult.”

Others, however, remain uncertain.

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

“The reality is that South Africa provides more opportunities than Malawi. I believe I will eventually return, for my family’s sake.”

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