A South African woman was prevented from leaving the country through the voluntary repatriation process after she allegedly falsely claimed to be a Malawian na...
A South African woman was prevented from leaving the country through the voluntary repatriation process after she allegedly falsely claimed to be a Malawian national so she could travel with her male partner.
The incident occurred at the temporary repatriation site in Musina, where officials were processing foreign nationals returning to their home countries.
According to Home Affairs Acting Chief Director Albert Matsaung, the woman, who is from KwaZulu-Natal, arrived at the repatriation centre with her male companion and told authorities that she was also a Malawian citizen.
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Matsaung said officials from different government agencies interviewed the woman as part of the verification process carried out for people participating in the voluntary repatriation programme.
“We work with different authorities here who interviewed her,” Matsaung said.
“After the interview, Malawian authorities realised that the story does not add up,” he added.
Following the interview, the woman was handed over to South African authorities. Officials later confirmed that she is a South African citizen and not a Malawian national as she had claimed.
According to Matsaung, the woman had intended to use the voluntary repatriation programme to leave South Africa with her lover. Authorities said the programme is intended only for eligible foreign nationals returning to their countries of origin.
Matsaung warned members of the public against abusing the repatriation process, saying it was not created to assist South African citizens to travel to neighbouring countries outside the legal immigration system.
“People wishing to visit other countries must not abuse this process,” he said. “We are not trying to promote illegal immigration to other countries by our own citizens, so this process must not be abused.”
He added that South Africans who wish to travel to other African countries, including those intending to visit their partners or relatives, should do so through the proper legal channels and in accordance with immigration requirements.
