Cape Town - What was meant to be a paradise island holiday has turned into a nightmare for a Cape Town family along with around 16 other South Africans who are stranded in the Seychelles.
They say South Africa wants to repatriate them - but the Seychelles government is reportedly not allowing them to leave the islands.
Nicola Kilner left Cape Town for the Seychelles for a holiday with her mom, husband and two children a week before the South African lockdown began. They were due to return home at the end of March, but their flight was cancelled, along with two others that were scheduled to bring them home. They’ve now been stuck on the island for a month.
“We are about 20 people stuck in the Seychelles,” Kilner said. “South Africa is ready for us to come home but the Seychelles government has said ‘no one in and no one out’, so they are effectively holding us hostage and not allowing us to return home.”
Kilner said they were told a flight scheduled to bring them home on Wednesday had been cancelled. They were then told they could fly home on Thursday, but that flight was also cancelled. The stranded South Africans did not understand why they were being held on the islands, because their leaving would not affect the Covid-19 situation in the Seychelles.
“We are in contact with the South African consulate here and the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), but it seems the Seychelles government doesn’t care.”
Dirco had not commented at the time of publication.