Thousands of Zimbabweans who fled a shattered economy at the turn of the century in search of survival in South Africa are now enduring the painful process of deportation. They did not leave because they wanted to. They left because years of economic mismanagement and collapse denied them the opportunity to live and work with dignity in their own country.
Forced into exile, they became economic refugees rather than builders of their homeland. Today, they are being pushed back to the very country they once abandoned because the crisis had become unbearable.
But in their absence, they quietly evolved into one of Zimbabwe's most important economic pillars. Remittances from Zimbabweans abroad, estimated at about US$2 billion annually, have fed families, paid school fees, built homes and kept communities alive. Entire households have survived because a son, daughter, father or mother accepted jobs in South Africa, however menial. That lifeline is now under threat.
The wave of xenophobic violence and deportations sweeping South Africa is not just Pretoria’s but Zimbabwe’s problem too. Every bus arriving at Beitbridge carries breadwinners, parents and skilled workers returning to an economy already struggling to create opportunities for those who never left.
These are not statistics, but human beings carrying the hopes of entire families. They are returning to an economy dominated by 76% informality.
Jobs are scarce and survival itself is a daily struggle.
Keep Reading
- Mr President, you missed the opportunity to be the veritable voice of conscience
- ED to commission new-look border post
- Zanu PF ready for congress
- EU slams Zim over delayed reforms
The government’s promises of assistance are welcome, but temporary relief will not be enough. Returnees need opportunities, dignity and hope. They need a reason to believe that home has not abandoned them a second time.
But this crisis should be a wake-up call that Zimbabwe cannot continue exporting its labour while importing remittances. An estimated 270 000 Zimbabweans are officially resident in South Africa, but millions more are scattered across the globe because their own country failed to provide opportunities. Returning citizens must not be viewed as a burden but assets bringing skills, experience and resilience forged through years of sacrifice.
Ignoring their plight carries grave risks. Desperation breeds hopelessness, and hopelessness breeds social decay. Communities already burdened by poverty cannot absorb another shock without consequences.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration must urgently engage business, development partners and communities to create pathways for reintegration. Support for small enterprises, vocational training and access to finance should become national priorities.
Zimbabweans returning from South Africa are not asking for charity. They are asking for a chance.
After years of sustaining families and helping keep the economy afloat from afar, they deserve opportunities and dignity.
Above all, they deserve a place in the country they never stopped calling home.