This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
Published on May 21, 2020, Malawi's ambassador to Zimbabwe, Annie Kumwenda, has confirmed that 90 Malawian illegal immigrants are being held in coronavirus isolation centres in Zimbabwe after they were intercepted trying to cross into South Africa.
According to Ambassador Kumwenda, the Malawian mission is working with local authorities to ensure the immigrants are repatriated back home. She stated that travel documents are being processed for a group of 41 Malawians who were intercepted by security forces on their way to South Africa.
These 41 Malawians will be deported alongside other immigrants already held at Zimbabwe's isolation centres. The ambassador's comments come after reports emerged that 14 Malawians in transit from South Africa had gone on a hunger strike after being put into an isolation centre in the southern city of Masvingo.
However, Ambassador Kumwenda clarified that the Malawians had since been removed from the centre and are now housed at a local school. In a separate statement, Rodgers Irimayi, a Zimbabwe government spokesperson in Masvingo, revealed that the Malawians had only skipped one meal.
Initially, Mr Irimayi had stated that the Malawians were being held at the isolation centre due to logistical problems. He explained that the Malawians were supposed to board a bus coming from South Africa to Malawi, but it had been delayed. The Zimbabwean government is now organising to provide transportation for them to their country.
