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MBABANE – The 15 emaSwati who were arrested in Newcastle, South Africa (SA) will appear in court on December 8, 2022.

This was revealed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Corporation, Thuli Dladla when contacted for an update regarding the plight of Eswatini citizens, who were arrested in SA for not having relevant work permits.

Dladla told this publication that she had tasked the Eswatini high commissioner, based in Pretoria, to assess the situation in Newcastle.

Custody

Yesterday, Dladla said the high commissioner went to Newcastle and found that currently 15 emaSwati were still in SA police custody for not having the relevant paperwork. Dladla said the commissioner attempted to see the arrested emaSwati but was told that they would only be seen when they appear in court on the said date.

The minister added that the commissioner also visited emaSwati who were still working in the textile firms in Newcastle and in one of those firms, found seven of them.

Dladla avoided to divulge the nature of the talks between the commissioner and the workers but said it touched on the reasons that necessitated them to migrate to SA.

The minister said her ministry through its offices in Pretoria and Johannesburg was working on the matter and would see it to the end.

Stranded

On Monday night the SABC reported that hundreds of Lesotho citizens, who were stranded in SA, were deported back home.

They were mostly workers who were left stranded after fleeing the police.

The SABC reported that the Basotho had been banned from setting their foot in SA for the next five years.

When asked if Eswatini would attempt to deport its citizens, Dladla said they were still going to consult with the Lesotho Government on how they went about deporting their people.