Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
GOVERNMENT has intensified the repatriation of Zimbabweans stranded in South Africa, deploying dozens of buses to ferry returnees from major cities to the Beitbridge Border Post as authorities move to facilitate their safe return.
By the end of the day yesterday, there were more than 20 buses deployed to the Government-run Reception and Support Centre awaiting dispatch.
Civil Protection Committee teams working with an Inter-ministerial Committee (IMC) were seen busy allocating people buses based on their destinations, while those with children were the first to get food.
In an update issued yesterday, the Department of Presidential Communications said the repatriation exercise was progressing smoothly, with hundreds of Zimbabweans already processed while more buses had been dispatched to various collection points across South Africa.
Three buses carrying returnees departed Cape Town for Beitbridge, while two more buses travelled from Cape Town to Johannesburg to collect additional Zimbabweans before proceeding to the border.
The department said about 1 000 Zimbabweans remain at the Epping Repatriation Centre in Cape Town and will be transported to Zimbabwe once processing is completed.
“Three buses have already departed Cape Town for Beitbridge Border Post while two buses have left Cape Town for Johannesburg for quicker processing before onward movement,” reads the statement.
“Epping Repatriation Centre still has some 1 000 Zimbabweans who will be ferried home once their processing is complete. Buses are already available for the purpose.”
Two buses from Port Elizabeth are also en route to Beitbridge. In Johannesburg, 11 buses are on standby at Zimbabwe’s Old Chancery, where approximately 600 Zimbabweans are being processed for repatriation.
Another five buses had been deployed at Power House in Johannesburg, where about 300 Zimbabweans were undergoing documentation before departing for Zimbabwe. The department said 12 buses also left Johannesburg on Monday night from various assembly points, including Durban, bound for the Beitbridge-Musina Border Post.
Government has said the repatriation programme is being fully financed by the State.
“All these far-flung relocation operations are being wholly funded by the Government of Zimbabwe, which has availed all buses on which Zimbabwean returnees are travelling,” reads the statement.
To ensure the operation proceeds efficiently, the Government has redeployed all staff at Zimbabwe’s Embassy and Consulates in South Africa to support the exercise, while spouses of embassy officials have volunteered to assist.
The department also commended the support being provided by United Nations agencies and the cooperation extended by South African authorities.
“Cooperation between the Government of Zimbabwe and the Government of South Africa remains excellent and empathetic,” reads the statement.
Government has reiterated its commitment to assisting all Zimbabweans wishing to return home and pledged support for their reintegration into communities upon arrival.
Above all, the Government assures returning citizens that they will be assisted to reintegrate into their respective communities in Zimbabwe. The repatriation programme follows the displacement of Zimbabwean nationals in parts of South Africa, with the Government maintaining that every citizen wishing to return home will receive assistance through the ongoing evacuation exercise.
Stakeholders from the Civil Protection Unit, along with the IMC, held a review meeting in Beitbridge yesterday to enhance operations around the dignified evacuation of the Zimbabweans from South Africa.
The main processing point for returnees is the Government-run Reception and Support Centre in Beitbridge, which can handle 1 000 adults and children every day.
Chairperson of the local civil protection committee Miss Sikhangezile Mafu, who is also the district development coordinator for Beitbridge, said recently that they met with all State actors and agreed on the need to ensure a seamless process.
“We are using the ‘Whole of Government Approach’, so the process becomes seamless. All sub-committees have been activated for health, transport, resource mobilisation and social protection,” said Miss Mafu.
She said on arrival, each person is registered and profiled by officials from the Department of Social Development and Immigration while the Ministry of Health and Child Care checks for medical needs.
In addition, the Department of Civil Registry was seen yesterday assisting children with birth certificates and those with lost or damaged documents.
“We want the children to be quickly absorbed into the education system; hence, we are streamlining the issuance of birth certificates,” said one official.
The returnees are also getting immediate help in the form of food, water, counselling and psychosocial support. The goal is to reduce stress and help them settle before the next journey.
At the border post, immigration officials said operations remain stable although they continue to process high numbers of Zimbabweans and Malawians who are self-repatriating or are getting State assistance to leave South Africa.
The Regional Immigration Officer in charge of the southern region, Mr Joshua Chibundu, said they are processing high numbers of Malawians and Zimbabweans returning from South Africa.
“Even with the extra numbers, normal movement of people has not been affected. Commercial trucks, tourists, and daily travellers are still moving as usual,” said Mr Chibundu.
He said the Department of Immigration has deployed manpower strategically to reduce queues and keep traffic flowing. Mr Chibundu said the movement of Assisted Voluntary Returnees (AVRs) is well coordinated.
“The Embassy of Zimbabwe in South Africa leads the process with returnees there. The local Civil Protection Committee manages support on the Zimbabwe side and they send passenger manifests early.
“We receive the lists of passengers and buses ahead of time. This helps us plan desks, health checks, and onward transport,” he said.
Malawi’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Retired General Peter Namathanga, visited the Beitbridge Border Post yesterday to assess how Zimbabwe is assisting Malawians travelling from South Africa.
He toured the transit area, the clearing desks, and the bus terminal and engaged with immigration officers, health teams, and Malawian nationals who were being processed for onward transportation.
Amb Namathanga said he is pleased with the support from the Zimbabwean Government.
