Zimbabwe Returnees Face Hardship as Reintegration Support Lags

Zimbabweans who returned from South Africa amid fears linked to anti-immigrant protests are facing difficult economic conditions and limited support as they try to rebuild their lives at home.

Anti-immigrant activists set June 30 as a deadline for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa. The South African government said the date would be a normal day and warned against intimidation and violence. Some migrants nevertheless left amid fears of unrest, raids, threats and possible violence.

By July 28, 116,670 Zimbabweans had returned from South Africa, according to Information Minister Zhemu Soda. Of that number, 36,940 were assisted by the Zimbabwean government, while 79,730 returned independently. Soda also said 38,057 people had registered for employment.

Returnees confront unemployment

Samantha Chimbuya, who left Zimbabwe in 2019 and later worked in South Africa, returned as the deadline approached. She paid for her own journey to Hurungwe in northern Zimbabwe.

“It was not safe any more. They were raiding our homes, warning us to leave. It was scary,” Chimbuya said, according to the report.

She said she had found work in South Africa and could afford food there. She also believed her children had access to better education and said the family had access to healthcare. Her husband remained in South Africa and, according to Chimbuya, was also struggling.

After returning, Chimbuya said she hoped to receive a grant to open a small business but had not received one. Many other returnees have similarly found it difficult to secure employment or obtain assistance.

“They are coming back to a country where there are no jobs and where the social support systems may not be enough to accommodate them,” said Reverend Useni Sibanda, executive director of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance.

Sibanda said many returnees had spent years abroad and were coming back without jobs or adequate support. Some had not invested in homes or property in Zimbabwe while overseas, leaving them with few resources to rely on.

Skills offer a route forward

Some returnees have been able to use experience gained in South Africa to establish livelihoods.

Sidney Bunya worked in Johannesburg and later Port Elizabeth, where he developed professional carpentry skills and specialised in roof trusses. Before leaving South Africa, he shipped his tools to Zimbabwe and used his savings to start a business.

The enterprise now supports his family and employs five people. Establishing it was challenging, Bunya said, but the business has begun receiving more work.

“It was difficult to set up the business. But I am getting more jobs now,” he said.

In another effort to help returnees build incomes, churches have partnered with local businesses to provide training in welding, carpentry and computer science, according to Ray Motsi, president of the Theological College of Zimbabwe.

Motsi said churches had also been assisting with shelter, food and transport, but the scale of need was overwhelming. “We need a deliberate programme to reintegrate these people,” he said.

Government measures under consideration

Zimbabwean authorities said they were screening and profiling returnees to identify their skills and needs. Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe said reintegration centres were being established and that officials were considering employment, vocational training and business-support measures.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Schools was also considering recruiting qualified teachers among the returnees. Authorities said companies were being encouraged to employ skilled Zimbabweans who had come back from South Africa.

It remains unclear how fully the proposed reintegration centres, training programmes and business assistance have been implemented.

Human rights activist Rashweat Mukundu said longer-term support would be needed, including small grants, agricultural inputs and machinery. Such assistance, he argued, could help returnees establish sustainable livelihoods rather than depend only on emergency aid.