CAPE TOWN, June 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of 150 Malawians left South Africa under a voluntary repatriation effort over the weekend amid reports of anti-immigrant violence in parts of the country, local media in South Africa reported on Monday.

"The first two buses carrying 150 Malawian nationals under the voluntary repatriation exercise departed Western Cape Province in South Africa on Saturday, 6 June 2026," Malawi's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation was quoted as saying in a statement on Sunday.

The Malawians were among foreign nationals from several countries who had been displaced and were sheltering in temporary camps in the coastal town of Mossel Bay in the Garden Route region.

According to local media, foreign nationals in Mossel Bay and other towns along the southern coast came under attack from anti-migrant groups and were instructed to leave their communities, in some cases during door-to-door raids in predominantly informal settlement areas.

The Malawian government said a multidisciplinary task team had been dispatched to the province and that the repatriation was being coordinated by the country's High Commission in South Africa.

It added that the nationals were traveling by road through Zimbabwe and Mozambique and were expected to arrive in Malawi on Monday.

"The Ministry reaffirms its commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all affected Malawians and its readiness to provide the necessary transit and consular support in coordination with all relevant government ministries, agencies, and departments," it said.

Local media reported that Ghana, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe had also organized repatriation flights and transport after raising concerns about anti-immigrant violence in South Africa.

In a national address on Sunday evening, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a series of measures to tackle illegal immigration while condemning acts of xenophobia and vigilantism targeting foreign nationals in several communities across the country.