“The last time we heard the missiles being intercepted was at 9am this morning.”
These were the words, on Monday, of Boitumelo Molefe, one of many South Africans who have been left stranded in Dubai, with Middle Eastern air travel suspended after military strikes by the US and Israel on Iran.
Molefe left with her partner for a holiday in Dubai last Tuesday. It was her first international trip. She would never have dreamt that she would soon have to be concerned about missiles flying over their heads.
They were supposed to fly home on Sunday, but received notice that flights were being grounded until further notice.
“After our last activity on the itinerary on the 28th, coming back to the hotel, we saw the breaking news and airports and flights were grounded, which was on Saturday. We were supposed to leave yesterday [Sunday]. The first flight was around 2pm but we are still in the same hotel that we booked. And since yesterday [Sunday], we have extended our booking for another two days out of our own pockets,” she said.
Molefe said they could hear the explosions from the intercepted missiles. “From where we are, we can hear them clearly. Yesterday was worse, when we were outside, because we could see the missiles being intercepted and we could hear them. Today [Monday], the last time we heard them was in the morning around 9am,” she said.
She added that they had been in communication with the department of international relations.
“We contacted them, and registered with them yesterday via email. Today we went even further and called them, but they said there wasn’t much they could do as a government at the moment,” Molefe said.
She said what added to their challenges was the cost of staying additional days at the hotel. “It’s been the pits - remember one dirham equals more than four rand - because we had to take that from our own pockets. Imagine the price of food. It’s quite expensive, but our visas, luckily, are valid for 30 days,” she said.
Molefe said she was mostly concerned about how her grandmother would react to the situation, but was trying not to get her family too involved.
“It’s my first international trip, so yes, being in a foreign land and with this happening, you can just imagine. We’re scared, but we’re trying to be calm. It’s terrifying.”
Sowetan
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