Covid-19: The experience of a South African repatriated citizen

A South African repatriated from Ghana, Warrick van Rooyen is happy to be home and appreciative of the government’s initiative to bring him and 59 others home.

Van Rooyen touched home ground last week Monday and is currently in quarantine in a hotel, awaiting his Covid-19 results – a condition set by the government for repatriated citizens.

“We are all appreciative of the government’s efforts,” he said.

“They have really pulled through for stranded citizens. Some people were on honeymoon at some island and there are no planes going there now, and some are running low on cash.

“I am really thankful that our government with limited resources was able to reach out and bring us home.”

Van Rooyen had been working in Ghana as an engineering consultant for a year and was due to come back home on 17 April, however, with lockdown regulations this seemed almost impossible.

“In Ghana, there are no movements in airports, no flights are allowed. Even though I was not technically stranded, I had already planned to come back home and my family and kids were waiting. They had been counting the days since they last saw me at the beginning of the year.”

He said it took almost a month of constant communication with officials of the South African Embassy in Ghana, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) and other citizens in the foreign countries to finalise the trip.

Van Rooyen said unity from the stranded citizens and government played a significant role in bringing him and many others home.

“Dirco and the Embassy were quite helpful and lessened frustration in a confusing situation. There were opportunists that wanted to take advantage of the situation – some said they were non-profit organisations but wanted us to pay huge amounts of money to bring us home.”

He said the repatriation journey started on a Facebook group, Home away from home, that had thousands of members of citizens in foreign countries.

” From the Facebook group, we were assisted by different political party representatives who channelled us to relevant officials and organisations. We then created an Africa group and further localised it to the respective countries and we were able to make things easier for the government to repatriate us in groups.”

Although van Rooyen is happy to be home, he cannot wait to be reunited with his family. “They tested us quite late. We only got tested on Thursday, but when we arrived, we were sanitised, as well as all our luggage.

“I cannot wait to be united with my family and see my three boys. My wife has been handling the weight on her own, with homeschooling kids and working from home, she needs me.”

Van Rooyen informed the Rekord that he received his results Wednesday and was waiting for his release date.

According to Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela, so far they have managed to facilitate the repatriation of over 1 350 citizens from 17 countries.

Some of the latest arrivals include:

● On 18 April 2020, 80 South Africans arrived in Johannesburg from Rome, Italy.

● Also on 18 April 2020, six South Africans arrived in Johannesburg from Haiti.

● On 19 April 2020, 206 South Africans arrived in Johannesburg from Frankfurt.

● Also on 19 April 2020, 35 South Africans arrived in Johannesburg from Angola.

● Also on 19 April 2020, 29 South Africans arrived in Johannesburg from Cameroon via Angola.

“In line with the regulations, all those repatriated have been transferred to various quarantine sites in Gauteng,” Monyela said.

“The department wishes to, once more, assure all South Africans stranded abroad that it is doing everything within its powers to facilitate their return back home.”

He added that the department’s efforts were constrained by the respective countries’ Covid-19 outbreak regulations limiting movement of people globally.

“Negotiations are ongoing with countries and other stakeholders to allow stranded South Africans to travel,” Monyela concluded.

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