A Durban man, who waited for almost two months to be repatriated from India, said he was anxious to see his family after he arrived back in South Africa on Sunday.
Keiyuran Govender, 22, who has been studying for his MBA at the University of Bangalore since last August, arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg along with hundreds of other South Africans on Sunday.
Arriving in South Africa was the most amazing feeling, said Govender.
“Just stepping out of the plane, then that cool air just hits you and you realise you’re home and it’s not 43°C any more. That was the best feeling,” he said.
After landing, the student said there was a four-hour delay before they arrived at the Indaba hotel.
“Hats off to the government we didn’t expect this to be a quarantine facility. We are absolutely comfortable and the food is amazing,” said Govender.
They had not yet spoken to doctors or nurses, and he wasn’t sure what the procedure would be, he said.
“We don’t know if we’re going to be tested. There’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment, but I’m really hoping that will be cleared up soon.”
Govender said the general atmosphere among the group he travelled back with was that of excitement and relief to be back home.
He said he decided to return home because it was difficult being alone in India and he wanted to be with his family.
“The other reason was the fear that if something happened to my parents, I wouldn’t be there.
“That was the main concern,” he said. The student said the lockdown was a scary time for everyone in India.
“Being a foreigner in India, people were much more scared of me. They felt that I posed a risk, even though I was there long before the virus. So getting groceries, things like that, it was a bit difficult,” said Govender.
He said the repatriation was in the pipeline for two months and, about two weeks ago the SA Embassy informed him that he would be returning.
“The hassle was that it only gave us two weeks to arrange the R15 000 to come back home. So, for a lot of people, including myself, it was a bit of a concern because R15 000 is a lot of money,” he said.
Govender praised the Indian government for implementing measures to ensure that people were protected, and ensuring the provision of essential services and goods.
“In India, they made use of mainly delivery systems, like a site called Big Basket and Amazon, and they made sure that groceries were delivered,” he said.
The 22-year-old said the flight was booked to capacity which meant there was no physical distancing.
However, Govender praised SAA and the officials at the SA Embassy in India, who went out of their way to make sure everything went off without a hitch.