South Africans stranded in various parts of the world for more than a month because of Covid-19 travel restrictions are pleading with the government to repatriate them as they are struggling financially.
Mario Boffa, of West Beach, is one of around 200 South Africans trapped in Thailand. He says there is an SAA repatriation flight this Friday from Thailand to Johannesburg, but they have no money for food let alone the flight. Mr Boffa says they are in dire need, but the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) has yet to respond to their appeals for financial aid.
Shaun Bodenstein, of Protea Heights, has been working on a rig since early March and has been left stranded in Lagos, Nigeria since airways closed across most of the world.Â
Allen Sharpe, of Strandfontein, is among a group of South Africans stranded in Cusco, far from Peru’s capital, Lima. He is broke, living off packet noodles, bread and butter. He said there had been some communication from the embassy, but their situation was grim. They have registered with Warrior Angels Rescue, an organisation assisting all foreigners who are stuck in Peru. They have also started a GoFundMe account to pay for charter flights.Â
Jocelyn Beukes, of Kuils River, is strapped for cash and living between two friends in Bangkok, Thailand.Â
Anne and Don Saunders, of Edegmead, are bunkered down with a group of other South Africans in Phuket, Thailand. They are among a group of 170 who are expected to leave Bangkok on Friday May 5. They will then be quarantined in Johannesburg. Their transport to Cape Town still has to be finalised.Â
Jennifer Lee Dippenaar, of Observatory, is in Bali, raising money for her air ticket home. She said that after quarantine she would be staying in Johannesburg to volunteer at Wits University, doing Covid-19 testing.Â
Caleb Poole, of Panorama, will return on one of nine repatriation flights from Doha before Saturday May 16. After quarantine, he and others will rent a vehicle to drive to Cape Town.Â
JC Bergh, from Brackenfell, was released from quarantine last week after being stranded in Saudi Arabia. He said he was still in isolation at home and not allowed out yet. Â
On Freedom Day, Monday April 27, Darren Bergman, founder of social media group Home Away From Home, said the remaining SA citizens should be brought home this week to avoid a crisis abroad. Home Away From Home works with Dirco to assist stranded citizens.Â
“We plead with the government to either repatriate people back from these hot spots or to ensure that we can immediately deliver food parcels, medicines and shelter to vulnerable people,” he said.
SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali directed our questions to Dirco.Â
Dirco spokesman Lunga Ngqengelele said there had been flights from the Indonesian island of Bali and the Middle East in the past week, but repatriation could be a long and difficult process because of lockdown measures in the different countries where South Africans were stranded. The department assessed each individual’s circumstances, accounting for the destitute and sickly, he said, and all citizens wishing to return to the country should notify the department because it might not know of their circumstances.Â
Home Away from Home volunteer Beverley Schäfer, said 2455 South Africans had been repatriated leaving about 1281 still stranded. Ms Schäfer has also been negotiating help for 29 South Africans stranded in Antalya, Turkey. The Turkish government delivered 20 boxes of food to them on Sunday May 3. At the same time, a military plane landed at Cape Town International Airport with a donation of medical supplies from Turkey to assist in the fight against Covod-19.
Â