Zimbabwe says close to 100,000 of its citizens have gone back home from South Africa since the end of May as anti-illegal immigration tensions continue to mount.
The influx follows growing pressure from anti-illegal immigration groups in South Africa, including March and March, which have been calling for illegal foreign nationals to leave the country.
Speaking during a post-Cabinet media briefing in Harare on Tuesday, Zimbabwean Information Minister Zhemu Soda said ministers had received a progress report on the country’s repatriation and reintegration programme.
He said the initiative, spearheaded by Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe, had enabled thousands of Zimbabweans to return home through a coordinated government response.
According to Soda, 99,418 Zimbabwean nationals had been repatriated between 28 May and the present with support from government departments and development partners.
He said women and children account for more than 70% of those who have returned, while demand for humanitarian assistance continues to grow.
Soda said authorities had expanded measures to ensure the increasing number of returnees receives the necessary support.
He also revealed that First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa had donated food and essential items to families at the Beitbridge Repatriation Centre.
The donation comprised 30 tonnes of rice, 20 tonnes of mealie meal, over 5,000 tracksuits, 1,500 nappies and 1,500 sanitary packs.
Soda said Zimbabwean authorities were also working alongside the Malawian and Zambian embassies to assist their citizens travelling home through Zimbabwe from South Africa.
He added that plans were also being implemented to provide assistance to nationals from other countries facing challenges while transiting through Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s Border Management Committee has meanwhile intensified operations at border posts to speed up the movement of buses and trucks transporting returning citizens.
The country’s Health Ministry, in partnership with Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and other humanitarian organisations, has also been providing healthcare services at the Beitbridge transit centre.
Soda said medical teams had treated several patients, screened 870 children for malnutrition and identified and managed 15 cases of diarrhoea.
He said the government remained committed to helping returning Zimbabweans reintegrate into their communities.
During the same briefing, Foreign Affairs Minister Amon Murwira welcomed the recent visit by South African traditional leaders, including amaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, who met President Emmerson Mnangagwa and rejected xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa.
