Dirco to assist South Africans still stuck in Egypt

Twenty-two South Africans who fled Sudan by boat to Egypt, remain stranded for now in that country.

The humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers said they are currently stuck in Port Safaga in Egypt after being ferried there on a boat hired by their company to evacuate them from Port Sudan.

Founder and spokesperson, Imtiaaz Sooliman, said the group was hired by the company for a project, which had two more weeks for completion before the war broke out.

He said they had been waiting for the past few days for "clearances" and had to postpone their flights back home.

ALSO LISTEN: SA-vrou probeer honde uit Soedan huis toe bring

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) said it would be assisting the group who had not been evacuated from Sudan with the other South Africans over the weekend.

"This is a group of individuals who were getting assistance from their employer and they are now in Egypt. Their initial plans and travel arrangements were such that they did not involve nor speak to the government nor include us," said spokesperson, Clayson Monyela.

"They're stuck now in Egypt because clearances are required. They've now reached out to us, they now need our assistance. We will gladly provide that assistance," he said.

Monyela said Dirco has already informed the SA Embassy in Cairo to assist with facilitating those "clearances."

He said their employer will be covering all the costs, and paying for flights, and once the issue is sorted out they will be "coming home safely as well."

But, Monyela said; "the bigger message and lesson from this is that in environments like this, it is always best, even if you think you have the means and you have a route privately that you can follow, it's always best to speak to government and involve us because at some point you will need us. But, we will assist."