All 10 South Africans detained in China a few weeks ago will soon be home, the department of international relations and co-operation (Dirco) said on Friday.

Five of the South Africans will be landing on Friday night while the rest will fly out of China on Saturday, said the department’s spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, in a tweet.

Monyela called it a “victory for diplomacy”.

The 10 South Africans were part of a group of 20 on a 47-day tour through China. They were arrested at Erdos Airport on Friday morning.

On Thursday, a Chinese official told news agency AFP that a group of foreigners had been detained for distributing “terrorist” materials. News24