South Africans abroad turn to private eye

Desperate bid to be repatriated as money runs out

SOME South Africans stranded abroad have turned to a private investigator in a desperate attempt to get back home.

South African Declan Miller, the manager of Crest Hawk Investigations, a Cambodia-based detective agency, said he had received multiple requests from South Africans in Cambodia and Thailand for assistance.

“The embassy in Bangkok is helpful but they seem to be overwhelmed with work. We have also had a case of a South African elderly male who is stranded in a rural area of Cambodia. His family reached out to us, but he has simply gone off the radar.”

Miller, originally from Durban, has been living in Cambodia for nearly five years and said the majority of South Africans in the country were English teachers.

“With all schools being ordered to be closed, most teachers have been left with little to no salary at all. South African tourists have had to rely on the goodwill of strangers in Phnom Penh, or from money sent to them by their families back home.

“The Cambodian government has also renewed tourist visas for free. The embassy has arranged flights back to South Africa, but South African expats in Cambodia find the prices to be quite steep and many of them do not have family to return to, anyway.”

He said South African expats and stranded tourists had utilised South African expat groups as a way of communicating and discussing options laid out by the government and embassies.

International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) Minister Naledi Pandor, meanwhile, said authorities continued to work to bring stranded South Africans home.

During a briefing yesterday, Pandor said Dirco had facilitated the repatriation of 5 239 South Africans stranded abroad – more South Africans than the initial 3637 who had requested repatriation. “We implemented this process to assist our nationals who were in distress, including those stranded at airports, students who were asked to evacuate their places of residence as many countries were implementing their lockdowns, the elderly and those who needed medical attention. All those seeking help are persons who are ordinarily resident in South Africa.”

She said they had also received requests from South Africans who had lost their jobs or simply ran out of money.

“The process of repatriation is not easy, given the various restrictions implemented by countries across the world. The process involved a lot of negotiation with multiple stakeholders, which explains why we couldn’t repatriate some as speedily as we wished.

“South Africans abroad requiring repatriation have been encouraged to contact our embassies to enable the department to assess the demand in each country.

“The department is aware of many other South Africans who remain stranded abroad and continues to appeal for their patience as we explore ways of bringing them home,” Pandor said.

“The department is aware of many who remain stranded Naledi Pandor Dirco