Spokesperson for the group in Morocco, James de Wet, tells OFM News they are now waiting patiently for the end of the lockdown periods in South Africa and Morocco, dated 16 and 20 April respectively, to get the ball rolling in having them return home.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in South Africa is now teetering on 1300, with two deaths due to complications of the disease reported.

De Wet says he is of the view that there has been some intervention by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), but for now he and others have decided to exercise some patience, in the hope that all will work itself out eventually.

According to De Wet, there is a coordinated effort by South Africans worldwide to try and get home as soon as possible. This is evidenced by the overwhelming desire to keep in contact with others in the same predicament. He says close to two weeks ago, a WhatsApp group was created to encourage the dissemination of information and within two hours of being created, that group was oversubscribed, reaching the 250-member limit. More groups were later created according to region and there are now about seven or eight of these WhatsApp groups all with a similar intention in mind. Of the 30 in Morocco, five are in Casablanca, while the others are spread across Marrakesh and Tangier, amongst others.

Youssef Azzakani is amongst the stranded group in Morocco. Youssef’s wife Rajaa, who is based in Cape Town, told OFM News in a previous interview her husband, who is insulin dependent, is okay for now, because he is fortunate enough to be with family. Youssef holds dual-citizenship in Morocco and South Africa and was visiting family at the time of the pandemic. She says when the first travel ban came into effect around mid-March they tried to push Youssef’s return date to 12 days earlier - 1 April 2020. However, last weekend, the Moroccan government extended the travel ban to 20 April 2020 placing the family in a predicament. She says she and the couple’s two children are eager to see Youssef returning home.

In London over 100 South Africans are stuck in limbo at Heathrow Airport. Carte Blanche Senior journalist and Producer John Webb, who has been living in Ireland since 2018, tells OFM News most of these South Africans were working outside of the United Kingdom and were in transit at the time of the lock-downs. He says reports indicate some of them have received financial support from employers which has enabled them to seek accommodation while they wait. There are some that are not as fortunate and are indeed stuck in limbo waiting for the lockdowns to come to an end.

OFM News