“We Pray for Them”: Ugandan Repatriates Receive Warm Welcome at the Airport Following SA Unrest

• The Ugandan government flew 730 of its nationals home from South Africa under a voluntary evacuation programme
• The fourth and final flight carried 166 people, completing the repatriation effort across four separate trips
• Ugandans at home welcomed the returnees back while acknowledging the tough road to reintegration ahead

Uganda's government completed a fourth repatriation flight from South Africa on 6 July 2026, bringing the total number of Ugandan nationals evacuated home to 730. The Uganda High Commission in Pretoria confirmed the milestone on the X account UgEmbassySA, sharing a breakdown of all four flights. The first flight carried 266 people, the second brought 32, the third matched the first with another 266, and the fourth added 166 more, completing what the government described as a voluntary evacuation programme.

A warm but honest welcome home

The repatriations come against the backdrop of growing anti-immigration sentiment in South Africa, where protests calling for undocumented foreigners to leave the country have intensified in recent months. Back in Uganda, the response was mixed. Some praised the government for acting swiftly to bring citizens home safely, while others were candid about the economic realities waiting for the returnees.

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See the Uganda High Commission's X video confirming the repatriation numbers:

Ugandans react to the repatriation

The news drew a range of responses online:

User @Ndyamuhakisteph said:

"A commendable effort by the Government to safely bring fellow Ugandans home. Wishing all the returnees a smooth reintegration and brighter opportunities ahead."

User @HassanKirunda4 wrote:

"Some take this as a simple thing, but me, I appreciate Gen Muhoozi, the CDF, and the Ugandan Government for the job done to evacuate our people from South Africa."

User @WamalaDianah shared:

"Well done. We pray for them to get integrated back into society successfully. Otherwise, it is not easy to fit in and live normally in a new setting."

User @NakigoziShiba said:

"Let them come here and starve like us."

User @SIMBA58912083 added:

"Please come take more."

3 Briefly News articles about the 'mabahambe protests'

• A Johannesburg man went around his neighbourhood checking which spaza shops were still open during the "mabahambe" protests and ordered them to close.
• Two men filmed a congested Johannesburg CBD, shocked that foreign nationals had returned to the streets after the March and March protests, sparking an online debate.
• A group of foreign nationals were escorted out of KwaZulu-Natal after community members were told that there were no keys to open the door at the neighbourhood home.

Source: Briefly News