Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE Ministry of Skills Audit and Development has registered 65 455 Zimbabweans returning from South Africa as part of a national skills audit aimed at matching their expertise with economic opportunities and supporting their reintegration.
The exercise is being conducted at the Beitbridge Reception and Support Centre, which continues to receive returnees on a daily basis.
Deputy Director for skills gap in the ministry, Ms Lesley Chakundura, told the Joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Peace and Security, Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services during a recent visit to Beitbridge that the database would help Government better understand the skills returning with Zimbabweans.
“The skills audit is aimed at identifying the talents that returnees bring back home so that we can match them to opportunities,” said Ms Chakundura.
The registration comes as more than 45 000 Zimbabweans have been repatriated from South Africa by Government, while about 130 000 others have returned independently in recent weeks following unrest linked to anti-migrant violent protests.
Ms Chakundura said the skills database included professionals such as engineers, pharmacists, teachers and nurses, although some returnees lacked formal qualifications to prove their skills.
“In partnership with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and
Technology Development, we have arranged bridging courses to enable them to obtain certificates and trade tests,” she said.
Ms Chakundura said a course was already underway in Bulawayo, while registration for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) was also in progress.
In Insiza, the ministry has conducted training in areas including biogas digester installation and maintenance, solar installation and repairs, with both returnees and locals benefiting.
The beneficiaries will receive Class 2 and Class 3 certificates.
Ms Chakundura said many women returning from South Africa had previously worked as housekeepers or in other low-skilled sectors and were being targeted through empowerment programmes being implemented with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Small and
Medium Enterprise Development and other departments.
She said limited resources remained the major challenge, particularly in providing start-up capital to those seeking to establish businesses.
“Our main constraint is resources to help people with start-up capital. However, compiling this database will help the Government in comprehensive policy formulation to ensure seamless re-integration of those with special skills,” said Ms Chakundura.
The database is expected to facilitate targeted support in sectors such as agriculture, construction, health and manufacturing while reducing duplication in training.
Ms Chakundura said the skills desk at the Beitbridge Reception Centre had transformed the repatriation process from an emergency humanitarian response into a national skills intelligence initiative.
“The skills desk transforms repatriation from a purely humanitarian response into a strategic national skills intelligence initiative. Systematic skills capture enables evidence-based policy, targeted employment pathways, and effective socio-economic reintegration of returnees,” she said.
She said the initiative would combine skills registration with interventions such as RPL certification, practical bootcamps, starter-toolkit support and micro-finance to help returning
Zimbabweans overcome financial and technical barriers and contribute to national development under the National Development Strategy (NDS2).
