‘We want to come home’

Writer: Taylum Meyer.

Roughly 3 000 South Africans stranded abroad are desperately trying to make their way back home while most of the world is in lockdown. Many stranded South Africans are running out of money and are now unemployed; they can no longer afford to pay for their accommodation and have nowhere else to go. To make matters worse, those with life-threatening medical conditions are not able to access chronic medication and now face serious health challenges.

A group called ‘Home Away from Home’, which was established a few weeks ago by a number of volunteers and officials here and abroad, has been supporting these nationals and assisting with efforts to repatriate them. The group, which is working closely with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), was initiated after many of the stranded South Africans took to social media to share the dire circumstances in which they found themselves abroad.

Helen Lombard with a member of the SA Embassy in Ghana who helped them get home. PHOTO: Helen Lombard

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