Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka
Zimpapers Politics Hub
FOR decades, migration from Zimbabwe to neighbouring South Africa has largely been viewed through the prism of economics, with thousands crossing the Limpopo River in search of employment and better livelihoods.
Today, however, a changing regional landscape and South Africa’s intensified crackdown on undocumented migrants have created a new reality, one that has seen thousands of Zimbabweans returning home.
While many governments would regard such an influx as an economic and social burden, President Mnangagwa’s administration has deliberately chosen a different path.
Rather than treating returnees as victims of circumstance or statistics requiring humanitarian assistance, the Second Republic has embraced them as indispensable partners in national development.
That approach is a practical manifestation of President Mnangagwa’s enduring philosophy: “Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo/ Ilizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Balo” (a nation is built by its own people).
The philosophy has become one of the defining pillars of the Second Republic since 2017, underpinning policies on economic transformation, infrastructure development, industrialisation, agriculture, mining and citizen participation.
The Government’s response to the return of Zimbabweans from South Africa has once again demonstrated that the doctrine is no longer merely a political rallying call but an operational framework guiding governance.
It is, therefore, unsurprising that President Mnangagwa immediately directed that every Zimbabwean wishing to return home should be received with dignity and assisted to rebuild their lives.
Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet responsible for Presidential Communications, Mr George Charamba, captured the President’s directive succinctly.
“We were given a very strong statement by His Excellency, the President, on Monday to communicate that every Zimbabwean is welcome to come home. This is their country, this is their home and we proudly receive our citizens back.”
Those words carry significance beyond their humanitarian appeal.
Politically, they reaffirm the social contract between the State and its citizens, reinforcing the idea that Zimbabwe belongs to every Zimbabwean irrespective of where they may have lived or worked.
They also project confidence in the country’s economic future by signalling that Zimbabwe is increasingly capable of absorbing its own skilled workforce.
For President Mnangagwa, nation-building is ultimately about people. Roads, dams, bridges, power stations and industries remain critical, but they attain real value only when citizens become active participants in driving national development.
That explains why the Government has deliberately shifted the national conversation away from the circumstances that forced many Zimbabweans to seek opportunities abroad and instead focused on the immense human capital they are bringing back.
As of last week, the Government had facilitated the repatriation of over 11 000 Zimbabweans, while more than 47 000 others had returned through self-repatriation, bringing the total number of returnees to nearly 59 000.
Behind those statistics lies an enormous reservoir of skills accumulated over many years in South Africa’s agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction and services sectors.
Rather than allowing those skills to remain outside Zimbabwe’s borders, the Second Republic sees an opportunity to deploy them in accelerating the country’s industrial transformation.
Mr Charamba highlighted this strategic thinking.
“Government is doing all it can to ensure their comfortable and dignified return but also to their long-term reintegration into wider society.
“They are coming back to a changed country. The economy is growing and creating new opportunities, which means Zimbabwe’s capacity to absorb its returnees is very much enlarged.”
This statement reflects growing confidence within the Government that the economic reforms undertaken over the past seven years are beginning to create conditions capable of attracting Zimbabwean talent back home.
Indeed, President Mnangagwa has consistently argued that Zimbabwe’s future prosperity will depend not only on foreign investment but equally on mobilising the expertise, entrepreneurship and patriotism of its own people.
The returnees, therefore, fit perfectly into Vision 2030’s broader objective of building an upper-middle-income economy driven by local innovation, production and industrialisation.
Significantly, the Government has already identified sectors where returning Zimbabweans can make an immediate contribution.
Horticulture stands out prominently.
With China opening its market to Zimbabwean agricultural exports through its zero-tariff policy, demand for skilled producers has increased substantially.
Recognising this opportunity, Mr Charamba observed: “There is recognition that these returnees are bringing in unique skills, including in the horticulture industry.”
He added: “With the new China policy of zero tariffs, it means our horticulture industry has to perform. The skills that Zimbabwean returnees wield are badly required back home so that Zimbabwe can meet her export quota.”
This demonstrates that President Mnangagwa’s nation-building philosophy extends beyond patriotism. It is rooted in productivity.
Returning home is not merely an emotional homecoming; it is an economic contribution towards national development.
The same thinking is evident in the Government’s beneficiation agenda.
For years, Zimbabwe exported raw minerals, effectively exporting employment opportunities together with its natural resources.
President Mnangagwa has repeatedly argued that local value addition is essential if Zimbabwe is to create sustainable jobs for its citizens.
Mr Charamba connected beneficiation directly to migration.
“Our push for beneficiation means that we will have an immediate direct link between mining and industrialisation.”
He further noted: “Each time we are sending down matter instead of platinum, instead of rhodium, instead of gold, instead of lithium sulphate or lithium carbonate, it means we are exporting jobs which Zimbabweans move down south to claim back.”
Those remarks perhaps best illustrate the essence of the President’s philosophy.
Industrialisation is not simply about increasing GDP figures.
It is about ensuring Zimbabweans find meaningful opportunities within their own country rather than seeking them elsewhere.
Equally significant is that the Government’s response has gone beyond political messaging.
Several practical interventions have already been introduced to facilitate reintegration.
The Civil Registry Department has also prioritised processing national identity documents for returnees to enable them to access employment, education, banking and other essential services without unnecessary delays.
Registrar-General Mr Henry Machiri said:
“All provincial and district registrars must assist Zimbabwean returnees from South Africa promptly and without delay.”
Similarly, the Government has introduced customs concessions under the immigrants’ rebate scheme, allowing qualifying returnees to bring household property, business equipment and one motor vehicle under favourable conditions.
Schools have also been directed to enrol returning children without discrimination.
As Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Zhemu Soda explained:
“His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, has directed resources towards ensuring the safe and dignified return of every Zimbabwean who wishes to come back home.”
He added:
“All schools across Zimbabwe have been instructed to make every effort to absorb children of returnees… No child shall be turned away.”
These interventions demonstrate that the Second Republic’s response is coordinated through a whole-of-Government approach, where ministries and departments work collectively to ensure that returnees quickly become productive members of society.
Beyond economics, President Mnangagwa’s response also carries important diplomatic and regional implications.
Migration within Southern Africa has always been influenced by shifting economic fortunes, labour demands and political developments. By choosing compassion over recrimination, Zimbabwe has projected itself as a responsible State that protects its citizens wherever they may be while respecting the sovereignty and immigration laws of neighbouring countries.
Instead of politicising the South African crackdown, the Government has concentrated on safeguarding its nationals and creating opportunities for them back home.
That measured approach reflects the maturity of Zimbabwe’s engagement within the Southern African region.
Ultimately, the welcoming of returnees is about much more than migration.
It is about redefining citizenship itself.
The President’s message is that every Zimbabwean remains an owner of the nation and has a responsibility to contribute towards its prosperity regardless of where they previously lived.
That is the enduring strength of the “Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo/Ilizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Balo” philosophy.
It places Zimbabweans at the centre of their country’s transformation, recognising that the nation’s greatest resource is not only its vast mineral wealth, fertile land or infrastructure, but its people.
In welcoming thousands of returning citizens with dignity, opportunity and hope, President Mnangagwa has transformed what could have been viewed as a migration crisis into a nation-building opportunity.
It is a powerful reminder that the journey towards Vision 2030 will not be built by Government alone, but by Zimbabweans themselves, united by a shared sense of ownership, purpose and belief that the future of their country lies firmly in their own hands.
