Government urges South African travellers to get travelling insurance as two South African teachers die in China.
Two of these families crow-funds for their loved ones remains to be repatriated from China.
The government has advised that citizens take out travel insurance if they are frequent travellers.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson, Clayson Monyela said it is important for South Africans travelling or living abroad to register with the local embassies.
However, he stressed that it is not the department’s duty to repatriate South Africans who die abroad, as the country has no funds to repatriate people who are in foreign countries.
Siphosethu Mqokoza, age 30, died while working as an English teacher in China.
Her family is need of R300 000 to repatriate her body.
Lusanda Sixaxeni, 27, who moved to China as an English teacher in 2019 after she graduated with a political science and psychology qualification from Nelson Mandela University.
Lusanda fell ill the week she was suppose to return home for the holidays and was admitted in Beijing hospital, where she died on the 12th September 2022.
The Sixaxeni family is in need of R400 000 in order for them to bring her remains back to South Africa.
In another case, 27-year-old NomaQocwa Blackie, from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, went to China in 2017 to teach English.
The South African teacher was found dead in her Shanghai flat in China nearly three months ago, she died from unknown causes.
Siphosethu’s family contacted the school to find out if they had repatriate insurance.
The school confirmed that it only had health insurance to insure when she is sick she can do daily doctor visits or go to the hospital.
