Over 700 South Africa returnees transported to Bulawayo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]

MORE than 700 returnees have been transported from Beitbridge to Bulawayo using 14 buses since the beginning of this month, while 146 people have received assistance at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) reception centre in Njube.

Some returnees are understood to have disembarked before reaching Bulawayo after departing from Beitbridge.

According to a report compiled by the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), the majority of those processed at the reception centre are children, highlighting the growing humanitarian dimension of the returnee situation.

The report shows that 67 children have been received and assisted at the centre, followed by 42 women and 37 men.

Among those travelling onward to their home districts, Hwange recorded the highest number with 23 returnees, followed by Lupane with 20. Bubi accounted for 16 returnees, while Umguza had 12. Tsholotsho and Binga each recorded eight returnees, with Nkayi registering seven.

The report also noted that three persons with disabilities had been assisted at the reception centre, while three returnees required urgent medical attention.

Humanitarian organisations involved in the programme said financial constraints remain one of the biggest challenges, with about 75 percent of the returnees requiring transport assistance to reach their final destinations.

Authorities also reported operational challenges in transporting returnees from Beitbridge to Bulawayo after two buses reportedly failed to reach the designated reception centre.

The buses are understood to have become lost, resulting in passengers being dropped off at the long-distance bus terminus and in Bulawayo’s city centre instead of the UCCSA reception facility in Njube.

The reception centre continues to provide temporary shelter, food, counselling and onward travel support as stakeholders work to ensure the safe reintegration of returnees into communities across the country.

The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations, working in partnership with Government and humanitarian organisations, is coordinating assistance for returnees arriving through Beitbridge, with particular focus on vulnerable groups such as children, women, persons with disabilities and those requiring medical care.