Announcement Imminent as DA and Dirco Work TOGETHER to Assist 1,000 South Africans Stranded Abroad

For South Africans stranded abroad, and their distraught families back home, there is hope… as DIRCO, the DA and other organisations – including SAPeople – work together like never before in what is now “truly an SA Project”.

In an exclusive interview on Tuesday morning, DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Darren Bergman, told SAPeople that an announcement for the 1,000 plus South Africans stranded abroad is “imminent”.

“Now that the President has announced that he is aware of the stranded people and that he will make pronouncements on that, we are hoping for a press conference or announcement any day now,” said Bergman, who has seriously worked tirelessly to spearhead a campaign to bring home fellow South Africans.

As announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last night, the South Africans who found themselves stuck at airports around the world when the Lockdown was announced, and flights were banned 24 hours later, are on the government’s radar.

To those seasonal workers and holiday or business travellers who found themselves locked out of SA, the President said: “We are paying attention to this – and will be giving assistance wherever possible with our constrained resources.”

Bergman, who launched an online form just days ago – on the evening of 26 March – for South Africans stranded abroad to register their details, said the list has now “cracked over 1,000 and is still growing”.

He said this is no longer a DA initiative but is now a “collective partnership of all parties. Dirco is working with us, members of the diplomatic corps are working with us abroad, we have approached the executive and people from other organisations (like SAPeople) have even come aboard and started to help, so we call this a truly SA project now, not a political project.”

Many of those stranded had been trying to get home for at least a week, some more, but their flights were cancelled because of Coronavirus shutdowns. Others were on flights but got trapped in transit as their connecting flights were grounded. The stories sent to SAPeople from desperate South Africans around the world – London, Peru and the US to Cameroon, the Maldives and the Netherlands – are heartbreaking.

Some are running out of medicine or money for food and accommodation. Some have been sleeping on airport floors. One is desperate to get home to a son who is terminally ill with cancer “before it is too late”. And most of these SA citizens just want a basic human right – to be home where their family is during these unprecedented times.

The regions that are currently looking most promising for repatriation to be arranged are Angola which is closest to SA and has over 200 South Africans stranded there, the UK and Europe, and Doha.

“These are three key central points whereby the other countries could feed to them,” says Bergman.

If repatriated, the South Africans would likely go into a similar quarantine back home as those students and teachers who returned from Wuhan China and were under a two week quarantine at a remote resort in Polokwane.

“I believe in my own opinion, they should be tested before getting on the plane,” says Bergman. “They should also go into strict quarantine back in SA.”

While there are over a thousand South Africans abroad, there are thousands more foreigners stuck in SA, hoping to be evacuated back to their homes. SAA is currently engaged in discussions with several countries.

It’s believed that regulations which were put in place for South Africa’s State of Disaster, prohibiting international passenger flights (to prevent the spread of Corona virus), need to first be changed.

When asked if there’s any possibility that these potential SAA flights to evacuate foreigners could perhaps bring South Africans home on their return trips, Bergman said “that is one of the suggestions”.

According to Bergman’s estimates there are around 7,500 foreigners in SA wanting to return home to their respective countries. However, he stresses, this figure is purely an estimate based on conversations and unverified press statements, and is not based on administrative proof.

South Africans abroad who wish to return home are urged to urgently fill in the online form and join the WhatsApp groups. See below.

Those who are worried about running out of money and accommodation, or who may be feeling ill and concerned that they have Covid-19 – should also join the WhatsApp groups.

“Our WhatsApp platform is growing to try and deal with advice like that,” says Bergman.

If your flight is currently scheduled for after 18 April (after lockdown) and you’d like to get home, please also fill in the form “but not the first priority passenger”, says Bergman.

UPDATE: Stranded South Africans Abroad WILL be able to return home

If you are in the UK:

Please URGENTLY send your names and passport numbers to the SA Ambassador in London, Her Excellency Tembi Tambo: Tambon@dirco.gov.za

Wherever you are:

• Fill in this online form URGENTLY: https://forms.gle/1ocxE6hFfUBuboa28
• Send a short concise email explaining your location and predicament tocicc1@dirco.gov.za or cicc2@dirco.gov.za
• If you have any problems or questions, call Dirco’s 24-hour number:
  for advice: + 27 12 351 1754 OR + 27 12 351 1756
• Join a WhatsApp Group in your region – see image below:

• If you are in the Maldives, the honorary consul is doing his utmost to arrange a chartered flight home. Please fill in this form urgently: https://bit.ly/2xtBphG OR email: m.ali@sahc.com.mv and/or aminath@sahc.com.mv
• If you have any queries, email admin@sapeople.com