Africa: Malawi MPs Call for Crackdown On Undocumented Travel to South Africa

Parliament has been urged to slap a travel ban on Malawians attempting to sneak into South Africa for informal jobs, as MPs scramble to get a grip on a repatriation crisis that has ballooned way beyond anyone's expectations.

The explosive recommendation from the Parliamentary Committee on International Relations comes as the government battles to bring home tens of thousands of stranded citizens -- with the true scale of the crisis leaving even MPs stunned.

Presenting the bombshell report to Parliament, committee vice chairperson Frank Mwenifumbo insisted the crackdown wasn't a blanket ban -- but targeted squarely at undocumented travellers chasing informal work without passports.

"This ban is not a blanket ban; it is a ban for those who are going to South Africa to seek informal employment while undocumented, meaning they have not been issued a passport for them to legally enter, exit and enter South Africa," he said.

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Mwenifumbo revealed the shock move comes after immigration chiefs admitted they simply CAN'T keep tabs on citizens sneaking out of the country through undocumented routes.

And the numbers behind the crisis are staggering. Mwenifumbo revealed that government originally set aside a hefty K25 billion to repatriate just 15,000 Malawians -- but the true scale of the emergency has smashed that estimate to smithereens.

"Government has managed to beat its own budget. It has repatriated over 41,000 Malawians at a cost of K7 billion, compared to the K25 billion that had been budgeted to repatriate only 15,000 people," he revealed.

Despite the surprising cost savings, the committee is demanding Treasury cough up fresh cash to keep the repatriation drive going -- while insisting every kwacha be scrutinised to stop any funny business.

But that's not all.

In a fresh twist, Mwenifumbo dropped a bombshell claim that FOREIGN nationals have allegedly been hijacking Malawi's repatriation programme -- using it as a sneaky shortcut to get home at the expense of desperate Malawians.

"What it simply means is that those that are not Malawians are depriving the bona fide Malawians of the opportunity to use the resources that government has provided, because they are not within the budget," he fumed.

To stamp out the alleged abuse, the committee has ordered immigration and transport officials to carry out spot checks on buses bound for Malawi -- grilling passengers to confirm they're genuine Malawian citizens before they're allowed to board.

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The committee also demanded tighter border controls, insisting Malawians travelling abroad must carry proper documentation -- in a bid to slam the brakes on runaway repatriation costs and ensure help reaches only those who genuinely need it.