Online Reporter
Langalihle Mhiti
THE return of Gilbert Nyamanhindi and Joyce Manyara, widely known as the ‘Nyathi Family’, to settle back home in Zimbabwe, has stirred a lot of debate across social media.
The debate is not just about changing fortunes but also about the language used to describe moving back home.
The couple, who had been living in South Africa, recently revealed that they were leaving their rented apartment and heading back home to Zimbabwe.
Their story has quickly become a talking point, raising questions about economic pressures in the Diaspora and the realities of returning home after years in other countries.
In a candid social media update, the Nyathi Family framed their move as a form of “relocation,” a term that has since divided opinion online.
“We are relocating back home to start afresh,” they said.
But for many observers, the choice of words felt loaded.
Some questioned the family.
Others defended the couple, saying returning home is not necessarily a failure but a reset.
“Going back home is not defeat,” another user wrote.
“Sometimes it’s the only way to rebuild.”
The Nyathi Family’s situation has also reignited discussions about the cost of living in South Africa.
Rising rent costs and unemployment have made it increasingly difficult for some families to sustain life in South Africa.
Another follower, Tapiwa Chikomo, said the story resonates because it reflects a broader, often hidden struggle.
“We are used to seeing success stories from the Diaspora, the nice apartments, the flashy lifestyle,” Chikomo said.
“But this is the other side that people don’t talk about. It’s real, and it’s happening to many.”
Analyst Rutendo Moyo believes the conversation should shift from judgment to understanding.
“There is too much pressure to make it look like everything is perfect,” Moyo said.
“Calling it relocation might be their way of holding onto dignity and hope.”
For the Nyathi Family, however, the focus appears to be on survival and rebuilding.
“We are starting small, but we are together,” they said in a follow-up post.
“That’s what matters.”
A lot of people believe diaspora is all Hunky Dory. The opposite is true. The first diasporan negative that hangs around one’s neck like an albatross is the mere feeling that the environment one stays in doesn’t belong to one. One always feels like a foreigner at every turn. The next ugly thing is the realisation that one may be surrounded by exquisite buildings, shopping malls, good roads, restaurants, lanny apartments recreational parks and all these areas of convenience BUT these don’t belong to one. When the “sun” finally sets, one will leave all these things behind. The other diaspora back breaker is that one must always have to work for a living unless one is an armed robber or crook or something along that kind of lifestyle. People must know that money doesn’t grow on trees in the diaspora. One must work for it. When all that begins to wear out, it’s time to come back home.