Escape From War Zone: South Africans Rush Home As Middle East Conflict Explodes

South Africans are beginning to return home from the Middle East after the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) urged citizens in the region to evacuate as tensions escalate.

The call came after widespread airspace closures across parts of the Gulf disrupted international travel, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Limited commercial flights have now resumed, allowing some travellers to begin their journeys back to South Africa.

Major airlines, including Emirates and South African Airways (SAA), have gradually restarted operations, with services expected to reach full capacity soon.

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The closures followed rising instability in the region after US-Israel strikes on Iran and retaliatory drone and missile attacks. Several countries shut their airspace to reduce the risk of civilian aircraft being caught in the conflict.

DIRCO has since advised South African citizens to take advantage of the limited flights currently available.

At least 150 South Africans — many of whom had been on pilgrimage in Jerusalem — have already been repatriated through African carriers such as EgyptAir.

Flights Resume As Stranded South Africans Begin Returning

Hundreds of South Africans who had been stranded in Dubai started making their way home this weekend after the United Arab Emirates partially reopened its airspace.

Emirates has reportedly resumed three daily flights to South Africa as travel slowly stabilises.

Media personality Spitch Nzawumbi shared his relief on social media after landing safely in South Africa on Friday.

Nzawumbi said he was safe after he caught the first flight in the morning.

“If there are any South Africans in the Middle East who are desperately trying to fly back to SA, please share with them that Emirates Airlines has confirmed that they have limited scheduled flights travelling to South Africa from Dubai,” he said.

He also warned travellers not to rush to airports without confirmed bookings because of the high demand for available seats.

“Those who have been put on standby should try to arrive much earlier than the scheduled times with manageable luggage.”

Stranded Travellers Count Financial Cost of Crisis

Some travellers have shared their experiences of being caught in the disruption, revealing the financial strain caused by cancelled flights and extended stays.

One traveller described how her family’s trip from Durban to Amsterdam was thrown into chaos after their connecting flight through Dubai was suddenly cancelled.

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By the time they arrived at the airport, all flights to Dubai had already been grounded.

“At that moment, we had no clue what was happening and were just upset about the cancelled flight. Now, looking back, we are so thankful it happened just before,” she said.

She added that if the conflict had erupted hours later, the family would have been stranded.

“My heart goes out to all the travellers who are still stuck, especially because we learned that an act of war is not covered by anybody. The airline will (hopefully) only pay back the unused tickets and the travel insurance does not cover anything in this case. My family’s trip all of a sudden got a lot more expensive, and I keep thinking about the people stuck in Dubai.

“From what I read, Emirates has put the people in hotels (with hopefully some meals covered), but they are still stuck in the most expensive city in the world. Even if some meals and the hotel are covered, there are still things you need. Especially those people who were there on a stopover might have a big problem. They have been stuck for six days already! It’s a bad city to get stuck in, not to mention the reason why they are stuck,” she said.

Meanwhile, more than 6,400 South African citizens currently in the Middle East have registered their details on DIRCO’s Travel Smart system.

Conflict Between US, Israel and Iran Continues to Escalate

The situation in the region remains volatile as tensions between the United States, Israel and Iran continue to escalate.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran will be “hit very hard”.

He suggested a possible expansion of the military campaign, stating that areas and groups previously not considered targets could now face “complete destruction”.

Trump also reiterated that he is not interested in negotiating with the Iranian leadership and demanded an “unconditional surrender” from Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected the demand, calling it a “dream” and stating that Iran would defend its sovereignty.

According to Iran’s health ministry, US-Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,332 people since the start of the campaign, including about 200 children.