Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
THE United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) transit centre in Njube, Bulawayo, has received nearly 3 000 returnees, including 710 who arrived directly in the city.
This comes amid revelations that some are facing difficult living conditions and family disputes as they struggle to reintegrate into their communities.
The returnees are receiving assistance through an initiative facilitated by the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) in collaboration with the Provincial Civil Protection Committee.
Bishops Lazarus Khanye and Senda Ngulube are leading the church’s response programme, which includes providing material assistance and monitoring the welfare of returnees after their arrival.
Speaking at the Bulawayo Provincial Civil Protection Committee disaster management review plan meeting at Mhlahlandlela Government Offices on Tuesday, Bishop Khanye said the church had started visiting returnees at their homes to assess their living conditions and determine their support needs.
He said 2 777 returnees had been received at the transit centre.
Bishop Khanye said findings from visits to 36 households so far were worrying, with some returnees struggling to access basic necessities while others faced accommodation disputes with family members.
“To understand how our returnees are settled and reintegrated into their communities, we also want to understand their living conditions and document the support extended to the households.
“We sat down with the local government officials and, from last Thursday, we have been on the ground checking on them and assessing their needs, including medical assistance. I can tell you that the situation is dire in most of the households we have visited,” said Bishop Khanye.
He said some returnees were arriving home only to discover that family members had rented out most of the available rooms, leaving little or no space for them to stay.
“We have seen situations where a returnee arrives home and finds that all the rooms, except one, have been rented out. Some of them have two or three children, which makes the situation even more difficult,” he said.
Bishop Khanye said the team had visited about 36 households in different Bulawayo suburbs as part of efforts to establish the challenges facing returnees and identify possible interventions.
He said the church, working with its partners, had continued providing material assistance, including food, toiletries and bedding, to ease the hardships faced by returnees.
Some returnees were also living with chronic illnesses and required medical assistance, he said.
Bishop Khanye said the home visits were intended to provide a clearer picture of the returnees’ circumstances and help ensure that assistance reached households with the greatest needs.
