Second Malawian returnee from South Africa dies during evacuation to Malawi

A second Malawian woman returning from South Africa under the government’s voluntary evacuation programme has died after crossing into Malawi through Mwanza Border, authorities have confirmed.

The latest fatality occurred on Friday morning shortly after the woman entered Malawi, making her the second female returnee to die while travelling home following evacuation from xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Commissioner and Secretary for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA), Wilson Mollen, confirmed the death, saying a clinical facility has been established at Mwanza Border to determine the cause.

“We have set a clinical facility at Mwanza to assess what happened. At the moment, we do not have details on the cause of the death,” said Mollen.

The first fatality involved another Malawian woman who died in Zimbabwe while travelling back to Malawi under the same voluntary repatriation programme. Mollen said both deaths are being reviewed.

Meanwhile, Mollen said the government, working with development partners, has so far repatriated at least 21,000 Malawians from South Africa. He said Treasury has provided K5 billion for hiring buses, while the total cost of the evacuation exercise has reached about K7 billion, including partner contributions and donations.

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