The returnees demanded authorities to have their passports back and be released to go to their respective homes.

“They blocked Limbe – Zomba road and smashed vehicles. Police came in and fired tear gas to quell the situation,” said one eye witness.

Spokesperson for Mwanza Border Post where the returnees entered the country through, Pasqually Zulu, said they can only give back the passports upon production of COVID-19 test results by health officials.

“Although we are here, all border formalities are required to be followed just the way we do right at the border for every entry,” he said.

Some unconfirmed reports indicate that about twenty people escaped the quarantine center during the fracas.

518 Malawians who include children and pregnant women arrived back home from the rainbow nation on Saturday fleeing from economic hardships triggered by COVID-19 in South Africa.

Meanwhile, health expert, Dr. Parth Patel, says it is imperative that all COVID-19 preventive measures are followed by the returnees to avoid further spread of the pandemic.

South Africa has the highest COVID-19 cases in Africa of about 1.1 million.