Following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Declaration by President Cyril Ramaphosa of a State of Disaster, the South African government has so far repatriated more than 3000 South Africans stranded abroad due to the coronavirus lockdowns and the list is “slowly whittling down”.
South Africa is a popular destination for foreign-born migrants in search of better socio-economic opportunities. Good infrastructure, economic stability and a relatively stable democracy are some of the attracting factors.
There are many foreign national workers under lockdown in South Africa, which remains one of the least affected countries in the world in terms of Covid-19 cases. There is a common misconception amongst foreign nationals in South Africa, whereby they believe that nothing can be done to resolve their visa issues during lockdown.
Worldwide travel restrictions are accompanied by various national strategies aimed at limiting the movement of people to prevent transmission of COVID-19.