Having served 15 years for being present when a friend hijacked and killed a US social worker, Azi Kambule was given a full pardon by the governor of Mississippi in January.
But he remained in prison for a further two months while the pardon was challenged in court by a political rival of the governor. The state's Supreme Court finally freed Kambule, 32, from prison last Saturday.
But the immigration authorities locked him up immediately - in Louisiana - for overstaying his 1997 visa. His mother, Busi Chabeli, who has been by his side since January, said: "This is completely crazy. He obviously could not ask for a renewal of his visa from prison, and he could not do it because you have to do that from outside the country. It's like we are trapped in a Kafka story."
His lawyer, Cynthia Stewart, said Kambule was merely being "processed" for deportation. She hoped he would be back in Joburg "very soon". Chabeli said her son had not yet been given a hearing date for his deportation. "I worry that something else is going on here. Our son never harmed anyone, and all we want is to get him home."
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