Online Reporter
Sikhumbudzo Moyo [email protected]
GOVERNMENT will facilitate the repatriation of the body of a young Zimbabwean who was shot dead in front of his mother in South Africa during the recent wave of xenophobic attacks, as authorities step up support for affected returnees and their families.
Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Judith Ncube, revealed the development on Wednesday while receiving donations from the Rotary Club of Matopos and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) in Njube, which is serving as a reception and transit centre for returnees.
Minister Ncube said the deceased’s mother was among the returnees who recently arrived in Bulawayo and was visibly traumatised when she reached the centre.
“As soon as the bus docked here, the woman immediately started screaming, ‘Please don’t kill me, please don’t shoot me.’ It was a sorry sight. We later learnt that her son had been shot and killed in front of her in South Africa, so those were signs of trauma,” said Minister Ncube.
She said the incident underscored the importance of the counselling and medical services that have been put in place at the centre to assist returnees who may have experienced traumatic events before returning home.
Minister Ncube said the woman had since received counselling and psychosocial support.
“She received counselling, but in order for her to find closure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade shall assist in repatriating the body to Zimbabwe,” she said.
The Minister said Government, working through various ministries and agencies, continues to provide humanitarian assistance, psychosocial support, medical care and transport arrangements for Zimbabweans returning from South Africa.
