HARARE, Jun. 30 (NewsDay Live) – The government has deployed at least 35 buses to repatriate Zimbabweans returning from South Africa, with operations underway from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Durban.
In an update issued Tuesday, the Department of Presidential Communications said the repatriation exercise was being fully funded by the Government of Zimbabwe, which had availed all buses transporting returnees to the Beitbridge Border Post.
The statement said three buses carrying returnees had already left Cape Town for Beitbridge, while two additional buses were travelling to Johannesburg for processing before proceeding to the border.
Authorities said the Epping Repatriation Centre still had about 1,000 Zimbabweans awaiting processing, with buses already available to ferry them home.
In Port Elizabeth, two buses were en route to Beitbridge.
In Johannesburg, 11 buses were on standby at Zimbabwe’s Old Chancery, where 600 Zimbabweans were being processed before departure. A further five buses were stationed at Power House, where another 300 people were undergoing processing.
The government also said 12 buses from Durban and other areas had left Johannesburg on Monday night for the Beitbridge/Musina border.
According to the statement, staff from the Zimbabwe Embassy in South Africa and its consulates had been redeployed to facilitate the evacuation of citizens wishing to return home.
The government thanked embassy personnel and United Nations agencies assisting with the repatriation process, adding that cooperation between Zimbabwe and South Africa remained “excellent and empathetic.”
Authorities said all returning citizens would be assisted with reintegration into their communities in Zimbabwe.