Government pledges long-term support for returning Zimbabweans

THE Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube, has assured Zimbabweans returning from South Africa that Government will continue supporting them beyond their arrival home through empowerment programmes designed to help them rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society.

Speaking at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) in Njube on Wednesday evening, where another group of returnees was received, Minister Ncube said Government was committed to ensuring that returning citizens successfully settle back into their communities.

Wednesday’s group arrived aboard the 10th bus to reach the temporary shelter since the repatriation exercise began.

Minister Ncube, who was accompanied by members of the Joint Operations Command (JOC), welcomed the returnees, saying Government had moved swiftly to prepare for their return after learning of their plight in South Africa.

“Welcome home fellow Zimbabweans, siyalamukela ekhaya. I want to assure you that after it was reported what you were going through in South Africa and that you were to come home, we met with President Mnangagwa as

Bulawayo leadership to discuss what we could do for our returning people,” she said.

She said Government understood that many of the returnees had been economically active while in South Africa and would require support to rebuild sustainable livelihoods back home.

“We will come up with self-empowerment programmes so that you are able to live a normal life here at home,” said Minister Ncube.

The Minister also commended the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) in Bulawayo for coordinating temporary accommodation and welfare support for the returnees at the UCCSA shelter before they continue to their respective destinations.

“This programme came to life because of our churches in Bulawayo. It is not just one church but all our churches, and for that we really want to appreciate them,” she said.

Government, working in partnership with churches, humanitarian organisations and other stakeholders, continues to facilitate the safe return and reintegration of Zimbabweans arriving from South Africa.

The returnees are receiving temporary accommodation, meals, psychosocial support and other essential services before travelling to their home districts, with authorities also preparing longer-term empowerment initiatives aimed at helping them become self-reliant.