Online Reporter
THE images of families fleeing violence, clutching their children and whatever belongings they could carry, are a stark reminder of a recurring nightmare in our region. Over the past month, a wave of violent anti-migrant protests in South Africa has driven thousands of Zimbabweans back across the Limpopo River.
Between May 28 and June 21 alone, 761 children, many of whom have known no home but South Africa, have arrived at the Beitbridge Border Post with their families. Seven others arrived alone, terrified and confused.
We cannot allow these children to be the silent casualties of a geopolitical crisis.
In the face of this human tide, the Government’s promise to fast-track the enrolment of these children into local schools is not just a policy decision; it is a moral imperative. As Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and
Devolution for Matabeleland South, Albert Nguluvhe, rightly stated: “No child should lose a school year because of what is happening in South Africa.”
This commitment, alongside the provision of social safety nets for parents who have lost their jobs and businesses, is a crucial first step in acknowledging the scale of the crisis unfolding at our doorstep.
However, welcoming these children back into our classrooms requires more than just opening the school gates. It demands a sophisticated, compassionate, and well-resourced strategy. These are not ordinary returnees. Many of these children were born in South Africa and have only ever spoken isiZulu, Afrikaans, or English.
They may have never set foot in a Zimbabwean classroom.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has previously indicated that it has systems to assess these learners and place them appropriately, and that a zoning policy will be used to ensure access. While these are practical steps, they are not enough. We must urgently ask: what about language support? What about a curriculum that eases the transition from the South African CAPS system to the Zimbabwean syllabus? What about the psychological damage inflicted by witnessing xenophobic attacks?
Furthermore, while the Government has commendably mobilised partners like the International Organisation for Migration and the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society to address the immediate needs of food, medical checks, and transport at the Beitbridge Reception Centre, we must extend this “whole of government approach” into the very fabric of our communities.
Parents are returning in large numbers; 24,211 have self-repatriated in the same period. The Government’s acknowledgment of the need for “social safety nets,” including food aid, counselling, and support for small income projects, is vital if we are to prevent these families from becoming another statistic of urban poverty.
Zimbabwe has always been a resilient nation. We have absorbed shocks before. But our resilience is built on the strength of our communities and the future we build for our children.
The curriculum can be adapted; the language barrier can be bridged. But only if our political will translates into focused, long-term investment in the well-being of every single child who has been forced to return to a home they may not even know.
We cannot fail them now.
