Dirco repatriates 5 239 stranded South Africans
Hundreds more have been repatriated through the country’s land borders.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) has, to date, facilitated the repatriation of 5 239 South Africans, who were stranded aboard, by air.
#DIRCO has facilitated the #repatriation by air, of 5 239 South Africans stranded abroad.
Hundreds more have also returned through our land borders.
This means that more citizens🇿🇦 have now been repatriated than the initial 3637 who had requested repatriation.- Minister Pandor pic.twitter.com/mY1iFXcrXz
— DIRCO South Africa (@DIRCO_ZA) May 21, 2020
Department minister Naledi Pandor provided an update to the media this morning (21 May), noting that hundreds more have also returned through the country’s land borders
“We implemented this process to assist our nationals who were in distress, those stranded at airports, students who were asked to evacuate their places of residence as many countries were implementing lockdown, the elderly and those who needed medical attention,” said the minister.
Pandor added that the repatriation process has not been easy given the various restrictions introduced by countries around the world.
“The process involved a lot of negotiations with multiple stakeholders, which explains why we couldn’t repatriate some as speedily as we wished,” said the minister.
To properly co-ordinate the repatriation process the department established a 24-hour command centre that assists individuals who were unable to contact the embassies.
“To properly coordinate the #repatriation process, my department established a Command Centre, which operates 24 hours a day to help those who were unable to reach our missions abroad.” – Minister Naledi Pandor. #COVID19 #CoronavirusUpdate pic.twitter.com/EcuvIwVd2t
— DIRCO South Africa (@DIRCO_ZA) May 21, 2020
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