More than 78 000 Zimbabweans return home from South Africa as exodus continues
More than 78 000 Zimbabweans have returned home from South Africa since late May. Over 21 000 returnees were transported through government-assisted repatriation whiletens of thousandsmade their own way back. . .
More than 78 000 Zimbabweans have returned home from South Africa since late May. Over 21 000 returnees were transported through government-assisted repatriation whiletens of thousandsmade their own way back across the border. Information Minister Zhemu Soda said the government has facilitated the return of21 291 Zimbabweanssince launching the repatriation programme onMay 28, 2026. He said another56 832 peoplecrossed back into Zimbabwe independently, pushing the total number of returnees to78 123. Speaking after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Soda tolde journalists that authorities had established an inter-ministerial committee at the Beitbridge Reception Centre to coordinate the reception, registration and onward transport of returnees. Zimbabwean government ramps up support at BeitbridgeSoda said the government had introduced several measures to manage the growing number of arrivals at the country’s busiest border post. Officials have opened a 24-hour inter-ministerial command centre at Beitbridge and deployed50 ZUPCO busesto transport returnees to their home provinces. Authorities are also providing registration, profiling, health screening, psychosocial support and social protection services at the reception centre before transferring people to receiving districts across the country. To improve conditions at the border, the government has established temporary accommodation, installed mobile ablution facilities and opened a temporary clinic supported by ambulances for emergency medical services. Soda said authorities continued mobilising resources to sustain transport, reception and reintegration efforts. Repatriation follows anti-immigrant tensionsThe repatriation programme gained momentum after anti-immigrant tensions escalated in South Africa. Citizen-led groups had setJune 30as an unofficial deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country, triggering demonstrations that occasionally turned violent. Ahead of the protests, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said his government would act against anyone attempting to destabilise the country. The government’s repatriation effort has also received support from the private sector and humanitarian organisations. As reported byZimlive, businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei’s Bridging Gaps Foundation donated11 buses, while Paul Tungwarara and Esau Mupfumi also contributed vehicles to assist with transportation. The Higherlife Foundation and Life Foundation each donated an ambulance to the Beitbridge Reception Centre. Meanwhile, development partners, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Adventist Relief and Development Agency, have supplied food, blankets and other humanitarian assistance for returning Zimbabweans. Mnangagwa urges Zimbabweans to welcome returneesPresident Emmerson Mnangagwa has called on Zimbabweans to receive returning citizens with compassion and dignity. He said the government had put comprehensive measures in place to ensure the safe, orderly and dignified reintegration of those coming back from South Africa. Although no official figure exists, estimates from various organisations suggest that more than one million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, making them one of the country’s largest migrant communities.