Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu [email protected]
BULAWAYO Province has activated preparedness measures to receive and assist Zimbabwean nationals returning from South Africa amid growing anti-immigration sentiment and reports of foreign nationals being pressured to leave parts of the neighbouring country.
Director for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Mrs Tsvagai Fikile Marovatsanga, who also chairs the Civil Protection Committee in the province, said this following a meeting held on Thursday.
The Provincial Civil Protection Committee (CPC) has identified temporary reception facilities and assigned key Government departments specific responsibilities as Zimbabwe braces for a potential increase in the number of returnees crossing through Beitbridge Border Post.
In a report on repatriation preparedness activities dated June 11, the committee said it had already convened to discuss measures to cater for Zimbabweans expected to return from South Africa.
The development comes as tensions surrounding foreign nationals continue to simmer in South Africa, with various groups calling for stricter immigration controls and the removal of undocumented migrants. According to the report,
one bus carrying 62 returnees has already arrived in Zimbabwe through Beitbridge Border Post.
“Information received indicates that none of the passengers are destined for Bulawayo,” reads part of the report.
Authorities said two additional buses carrying returnees from Cape Town were expected to depart South Africa on Thursday.
To prepare for a possible influx, the committee identified several facilities that could serve as temporary reception and command centres for returnees transiting through Bulawayo. Among the facilities identified are eLangeni
Training Institute and community halls across the city.
The report said eLangeni Training Institute had been identified as the preferred facility, and a formal request seeking permission to use the institution had already been submitted, with authorities awaiting a response.
The City of Bulawayo Health Department has been tasked with engaging the Housing Department to identify additional buildings or hostels that could be used to temporarily accommodate returnees should the need arise. The
Department of Immigration has meanwhile been tasked with establishing the number of buses expected to enter the country and, where possible, provide statistics on the intended final destinations of the repatriated Zimbabweans.
Members of the committee expressed concern that returnees had already started arriving in the country, underscoring the need for urgent preparedness measures.
The committee urged all stakeholders assigned responsibilities to expedite the implementation of agreed interventions and provide regular feedback.
Government ministries, departments and agencies expected to provide services to returnees were also urged to ensure prompt service delivery and avoid unnecessary delays, particularly for those with arrangements to proceed directly to their final destinations.
The committee said it remained on standby and would continue monitoring developments while strengthening preparedness measures.
Zimbabwe has in the past received thousands of citizens returning from South Africa during periods of social unrest, economic disruptions and public health emergencies, with authorities often setting up temporary reception centres to facilitate their transit and reintegration.
