More Malawi citizens pushed into economic migrants: 300 deported from South Africa, 72 from Zimbabwe
About 300 Malawian citizens have been deported by South Africa for living in the country without proper documents days after Zimbabwe deported 72 Malawians for being illegal immigrants as Centre for Development of the People (Cedep) executive director Gift Trapence has called for curbing high levels of unemployment in the country which he said was leading cause to an influx of Malawians leaving the country in search of greener pastures.
Immigration spokesperson at Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, Martin Ngongolo , said the deportees arrived in the southern African country on Wednesday.
“The first group of 150 people arrived in the morning,” Gondolo said.
The other half was expected to have arrived later in the afternoon.
Gondolo advised Malawians to observe immigration regulations in all countries, saying holding a valid passport is not enough but citizens should familiarise themselves with immigration requirements in all countries they are travelling to.
Meanwhile, Cedep executive director Trapence has pointed out that many Malawians, especially the youth, are migrating to countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique to look for employment as they cannot sustain themselves here at home due to various economic hardships.
Apart from the latest arrival of deportees, Mwanza border post has reportedly registered 886 deportees since January this year.
According to Mwanza border spokesperson, Pasqually Zulu, some of the deportees had spent up to six months in jail after being arrested for violating various immigration offences including travelling without proper documentation and overstaying.
Trapence said the country has a lot of graduates who are just sitting idle because they cannot get employment.
“We need a multi-sectoral approach to addressing unemployment as a country. We need to look at all possible ways and create a permanent national programme that will see to it that our industry is able to give jobs to our youth.
“Our industrial sector is very small and it is failing to meet demands for employment. I have not seen a lot of commitment from our politicians in addressing these challenges. The loan schemes they are advancing such as Malawi Enterprise Development Fund (Medf) are short-lived,” said Trapence:
In its Global Employment Trends for youth 2015, The International Labour Organisation (ILO) recently indicated that job creation for the world’s youth remains an uphill struggle as two out of five economically active youth in most countries including Malawi are unemployed.
The National Statistical Office (NSO) conducted its first ever labour force survey in 2014 and reported that formal unemployment rate in Malawi was at 21 percent.
President Peter Mutharika recently attributed high levels of unemployment in this country to inadequate direct foreign investment. He described the private sector as the engine for growth and development as well as a source of direct revenue and employment.
He promised that his government was putting up measures to ensure that more foreign investors come to Malawi.
According to NSO, the youth constitute 70 percent of the country’s population.
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To be honest thewe Malawians need not to have left Malawi in the first place. But with no employment what can they do? With rampant corruption favouritism and nepotism and tribalism what can they do? Without power to open even a barbershop what can they do? I feel sad when we meet them in Jozi. I don’t know whether Pitala meets the real Malawians stuck in other countries. He only meets well dressed diaspora Malawians. The real diaspora Malawians are as pitiable as the real Malawians here. If only we could be wise and fair in managing the taxes to… Read more »
Why are Malawians running away from their beloved country. The answer is simple. The govt is crazy. They dont know ways of creating jobs. The authorities are busy running kitchen politics and not caring their responsibilities of creating jobs. Not that they run to seek jobs but seeking refuge in other countries. They are fleeing war of worst poverty the country has never faced before. The rulers are parasitic. Where can they hunt for jobs in Malawi? The soils are worn out and unproductive. Oh our country is doomed. People are suffering. I feel sorry for my fellow Malawians deported… Read more »
And the worst is yet to come when our arable land is unable to produce crops and the lake unable to produce fish due to oil polution.
Corruption is killing Malawi at a fast pace and poised to erase that nation off the face of the planet.
Athamangitseni a Malawi. Mmalo motukula dziko tingoba ndi kumathawira MMayiko a ena.