More than 108,000 Zimbabweans have returned to their home country following months of xenophobic attacks and anti-immigration protests in South Africa, Zimbabwean authorities said on Wednesday.
Information Minister Zhemu Soda said that, as of July 18, 33,855 people had been repatriated through government-organized operations, while an estimated 74,511 others returned voluntarily. To support the returnees, the government arranged 416 bus trips from the Beitbridge reception center on the South Africa-Zimbabwe border and provided medical care to 1,474 people at the facility.
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe said Zimbabwe is prepared to receive any citizen wishing to return, noting that an estimated two million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, including around 500,000 undocumented migrants.
Authorities have also launched a national registration program to facilitate the social and economic reintegration of returnees, with more than 15,000 people already registered, mainly in domestic work, construction, and agriculture.
The repatriations come as South Africa experiences a renewed wave of xenophobic violence and protests targeting irregular African migrants, whom some groups blame for unemployment, crime, and pressure on public services.
The unrest has prompted several African countries, including Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana, to repatriate thousands of their nationals, despite Pretoria condemning the violence while defending its efforts to curb irregular migration.
