South African citizens’ rescue from Sudan not yet over

Cape Town - As 61 South Africans were welcomed at OR Tambo International at the weekend after their return from Sudan, 22 citizens stuck in Egypt were awaiting national clearance before they will be allowed to return home.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) is assisting the South Africans stuck on a boat while fleeing war-torn Sudan.

This comes after International Affairs and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor on Sunday welcomed back a group of 61 evacuated South Africans.

Clayson Monyela, Dirco spokesperson, said: “Our team in Cairo will intervene and assist in getting the necessary clearances required. They initially worked on their own travel arrangements and plan, without involving the government. Now that they need clearances and therefore our intervention, they’ve reached out.

“We will help as we always do. We are, however, glad that the group is out of Sudan and not in harm’s way. We are also noting that their employer has so far been responsive, covering all costs and ensuring that their employees are taken care of.”

According to Monyela, the group which had tried to flee without informing Dirco of their plans reached out to them when an issue arose around them disembarking from the boat, and not having the required documentation.

“This group of 22 South African nationals, who with their employer had made their own travel arrangements from near Port Sudan without involving the government. They are now in Egypt and not being allowed to disembark as clearances are required. National security agencies in that country require that to get off the boat.

“They have reached out to us and we will intervene, as we always do when South Africans find themselves in situations like this. But it’s always helpful to involve the government on missions like this. Our embassy in Cairo is dealing with the matter to assist with what is required so that they can catch their flights and return to South Africa,” said Monyela.

Gift of the Givers chairperson and founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the group of 22 has been in the region since September, 2022 on a project in Port Sudan and were working on the MV Markab boat.

They had just another two weeks before the project was to be completed, but their project has been cut short due to the civil conflict.

“The process of evacuating South Africans from Sudan is not over yet. We received a call from a group of South Africans caught in the Port of Safaga in Egypt.They have waited in that boat for the past three days for clearance, so that they could catch their flight from Cairo to South Africa but the flight had to be postponed.

“We have shared this information with Dirco so that they can return home as soon as possible,” said Sooliman.

Sooliman confirmed that the citizens have been booked on a commercial airline to South Africa.

South African Ash Ramraj told of his ordeal where he was in close proximity to war scenes before he returned home.

On Sunday a group of 61 people were welcomed back by Dirco Minister Naledi Pandor on Sunday evening at the OR Tambo International Airport.

“I could see opposing forces outside my building, I have videos of them where they congregated and then moved on and to me, I had to get out of there. There was no way I was going to stay there and put my life at risk… There were shells that hit my building and it was crazy,” said Ramraj.

Ramraj said he got in touch with the Gift of the Givers and the South African embassy, where they secure buses for their safe evacuation from Sudan.

Cape Times