The Malawi government is seeking details about a fire that left 12 dead, mostly migrant workers from Malawi, in the inner city of Johannesburg early on Wednesday, said a senior official.
”We are pushing for more details from South African government officials, to find out how those involved found themselves there,” said Malawi’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Davis Katsonga.
Johannesburg Fire and Emergency Management Services said 33 other people were injured in the blaze on the top floor of a workshop crowded with illegal immigrants.
Katsonga told a South African Press Association correspondent in Lilongwe that his government has so far received details from its diplomatic representatives in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
He confirmed that seven of the dead were Malawi nationals and that their next-of-kin would be informed as soon as more details were received.
The fire has once again focused attention on the dangers facing illegal immigrants in South Africa, said unnamed diplomatic sources in Malawi.
Governments in the region need to do more to find solutions to the problem, they said.
However, Katsonga, who described the incident as ”most unfortunate”, said the problem of illegal immigrants is worldwide.
”Even here in Malawi, we have illegal immigrants from countries such as Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and others,” he said. ”As governments, there is little else we can do apart from warning our peoples on the dangers of illegal migration.”