Online Reporter
Eliah Saushoma, [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga’s wife, Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi-Chiwenga, has called on churches, the private sector and communities to complement Government efforts to support Zimbabweans returning from South
Africa by providing spiritual, social and economic assistance to facilitate their reintegration.
As at July 18, a total of 33 855 returnees had been repatriated through Government arrangements, while an estimated 74 511 had self-repatriated, bringing the total number of returnees to over 108 000.
Speaking as guest of honour during a fundraising ceremony for the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) Mpopoma Congregation in Bulawayo on Saturday, Col Baloyi-Chiwenga said many returnees were arriving home traumatised, unemployed and in need of urgent support.
“We have people returning from South Africa distressed, people who have nothing to do and some who do not even have a place to stay,” she said.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga said the challenges facing returnees required a co-ordinated response from Government, churches, businesses and communities to help them rebuild their lives and regain their dignity.
She said churches have a critical role to play by offering not only spiritual guidance but also practical support to returning citizens.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga urged religious institutions to provide counselling, emotional support and a welcoming environment to help returnees adjust to life back home.
Where possible, she said, churches should also make use of their facilities to provide temporary shelter and emergency accommodation, while leveraging their networks to connect returnees with employment opportunities and community support programmes.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga called for stronger collaboration among Government, religious institutions, the private sector and civil society to ensure the successful reintegration of returning Zimbabweans.
She implored Government to continue coordinating documentation, registration and policy implementation, while churches focus on welfare support, moral guidance and community integration.
The private sector, Col Baloyi-Chiwenga added, should create employment opportunities and develop programmes that match returnees’ skills with available jobs.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga also urged employers to recognise the practical skills many returning Zimbabweans acquired while working outside the country, even if they do not possess formal qualifications.
“Many of them have valuable skills. If we give them a chance, they can prove themselves and contribute to our economy and society,” she said.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga said recognising practical expertise and creating pathways to employment would enable returnees to regain their dignity while contributing meaningfully to national development.
Government has since launched a comprehensive skills audit and registration exercise for Zimbabweans returning from South Africa as part of efforts to harness their expertise for national development and strengthen reintegration programmes.
The exercise is being co-ordinated by the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development at the Beitbridge Reception and Support Centre, where returning citizens are being processed daily.
The ministry has so far registered more than 15 000 returnees across 52 identified occupations under the Zimbabwe Global Skills Partnership Programme (ZGSPP).
The majority of skills are related to domestic work, bricklaying and farming. Government has adopted a three-pronged reintegration approach prioritising social, economic and cultural reintegration to support sustainable reintegration of returnees into their communities.
Speaking at the same event, guest speaker for the RCZ Bulawayo Inner City Congregation, Ms Angila Chatikobo, thanked Col Baloyi-Chiwenga for accepting the invitation and supporting the church’s fundraising initiative.
She said plans to purchase land and construct a church building in Mpopoma would have a lasting impact on the local community.
“This place will be an altar where people will come broken and leave healed, where children will learn about Jesus, where marriages will be restored and where this community will encounter God,” said Ms Chatikobo.
She described churches as important centres for spiritual growth, social cohesion and community development.
“Giving is not about what we lose, but about what God can accomplish through us,” she said.
The fundraising ceremony was attended by representatives from the Office of the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Bulawayo City Council and members of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe.
