REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BLANTYRE -- One of the first group of 390 Malawi returnees who were Monday evening ferried back home from xenophobic South Africa came with a bullet in his stomach, Malawi government spokesperson Kondwani Nankhumwa told local media.

Speaking to national public broadcaster, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), Nankhumwa, who was among government officials who welcomed the returnees in Blantyre, said the man had since been rushed to hospital.

"The man was shot in the stomach and he still has the bullet in there and we have rushed him to hospital," explained Nankhumwa, who confirmed that official reports as of Monday indicated that two Malawians had lost their lives in South African xenophobic attacks.

He said there were also many returnees who were injured and that they had all been sent to hospital for medical treatment.

Speaking on behalf of the first group of returnees, one man hailed the Malawi government for taking the initiative to repatriate Malawian nationals trapped in the rainbow country and pleaded for urgent repatriation of the rest of Malawian nationals still trapped in South Africa.

"We are very grateful to government and President Mutharika for remembering us," said the returnees' representative. "But we still have brothers and sisters who are trapped and stranded there and we plead with you to urgently come to their rescue."

The Malawi government spokesperson, who is also Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture, assured the returnees that Malawi government would do all it could to repatriate all Malawians who would volunteer themselves for the exercise.

He said five more buses were due to arrive in Malawi with more returnees and that more buses would be arriving in the week.

Nankhumwa announced earlier on Monday that the total number of Malawi nationals trapped in South Africa following the xenophobic attacks had reached 3,200 from 400 as announced days before.

The minister said the Malawi government would hire 60 more buses in addition to the initial 6 to ferry the 3,200 Malawians back home.

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