A group of South Africans who live and work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia say they desperately want to return home to their families and jobs
It’s understood about 150 families were on annual leave in South Africa when the country was put under lockdown by President Cyril Ramaphosa to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 resulting in all flight to Saudi Arabia being cancelled.
The group say they have been stranded in South Africa with no income and have been experiencing extreme financial difficulties while in the country.
Speaking to Radio Islam, the groups spokesperson Ahmed Arbee says they are seeking the assistance of the International Relations Department and urging them to work with their Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry counterparts to facilitate their return to the kingdom.
Arbee says the group have even agreed that the cost of returning to the Kingdom will be at their own expense.
“Many are separated from their families. We have one mother separated from her three daughters, another mother separated from her 1-year-old child. She came to renew her passport and she’s been stuck since March.”
First Secretary of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in South Africa Bassam Binahmed told Radio Islam that with the current COVID-19 lockdown, unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to assist the South Africans return to the kingdom.
“I feel sorry for our friends in South Africa but for now, there is really nothing we can do. The kingdom wants to protect its citizens. If there is an update, we will post it our website or share it with the media.”
Binahmed says Saudi Arabia, like South Africa, was willing, through the respective embassies, to facilitate for the evacuation or repatriation of citizens but could not prioritise the needs of non-citizens trying to make their way back into their country.
Faizel Patel
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