A full flight carrying Nigerian nationals back to their home country is expected to leave the OR Tambo International airport on Wednesday.
Several buses transporting Nigerians to the airport have left the Nigerian High Commission in Rivonia, north of Johannesburg.
They include women and children as well as South African women who are married to Nigerian men.
The Nigerian High Commission says a privately owned airline, Air Peace, has offered free flights to Nigerians wanting to leave South Africa over safety concerns following the wave of violent attacks in Gauteng. Over 600 Nigerians are expected to leave South Africa.
The Africa Diaspora Forum says it is inundated with requests from people from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawian that want to return home.
The President of Nigerian Citizens’ Association, Ben Okoli says, “Very few of them have expired permits but majority of them are documented in South Africa. Some of them even got an accompanying spouse, some of them are leaving with their wives. I have a case of four families leaving with their South African spouses, four South African women are in this bus, the last bus”.
#nigerianrepatriation The fourth and last bus for today has left the Nigerian Embassy in Rivonia to the OR Tambo International Airport. More than 600 Nigerians are leaving South Africa on a private airline – Air Peace. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/BDKgfysuBL
— Sashin Naidoo (@Sashinn007) September 11, 2019
#nigerianrepatriation Hundreds of Nigerian nationals are are leaving the Nigerian Embassy in Rivonia to head to the OR Tambo International Airport to fly back home. This follows the recent spate of violent attacks against foreigners in Gauteng. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/Xyw2EHsIUh
— Sashin Naidoo (@Sashinn007) September 11, 2019
