derick.khumalo
Eliah Saushoma
[email protected]
RELIGIOUS institutions, Government, the private sector and communities must work together to support Zimbabweans returning from South Africa by providing both spiritual and economic assistance to ease their reintegration, Colonel Miniyothabo Baloyi-Chiwenga has said.
Speaking during a fundraising ceremony for the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe (RCZ) Mpopoma congregation in Bulawayo, where she was the guest of honour, Col Baloyi-Chiwenga said many returnees were arriving home distressed and in need of support.
“We have people returning from South Africa—people who are distressed, people who have nothing to do, and some who do not even have a place to stay,” she said.
She said many returnees lacked basic necessities, employment and accommodation, making it imperative for all sectors of society to work together to help them rebuild their lives.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga said churches have a critical role to play by providing not only spiritual guidance but also practical assistance to returning citizens.
She encouraged religious institutions to offer counselling, emotional support and acceptance to help returnees cope with the challenges of reintegration.
She also urged churches to make use of their facilities where possible to provide temporary shelter and emergency accommodation, while leveraging their networks to connect returnees with employment opportunities and community support programmes.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga called for stronger collaboration between Government, churches, businesses and community organisations to ensure successful reintegration.
She said Government should coordinate documentation, registration and policy implementation for returnees, while churches focus on welfare support, moral guidance and community integration.
The private sector and other stakeholders, she said, should create employment opportunities and develop programmes that match returnees’ skills with available jobs.
Col Baloyi-Chiwenga also stressed the need to recognise the practical skills many returning Zimbabweans possess despite lacking formal qualifications.
“Many of them have valuable skills. If we give them a chance, they can prove themselves and contribute to our economy and society,” she said.
She said recognising practical expertise and creating pathways to employment would help returning citizens regain their dignity while contributing to national development.
Speaking at the same event, RCZ Bulawayo Inner City Congregation guest speaker Ms Angila Chatikobo thanked Col Baloyi-Chiwenga for accepting the invitation to officiate as guest of honour and for supporting the church’s fundraising initiative.
She said the planned purchase and construction of a church building in Mpopoma would have a lasting impact on the community.
“This place will be an altar where people will come broken and leave healed, where children will learn about Jesus, where marriages will be restored, and where this community will encounter God,” she said.
Ms Chatikobo said churches remained vital centres for spiritual growth and community development.
“Giving is not about what we lose, but about what God is able to accomplish through us,” she said.
The fundraising ceremony was attended by representatives from the Office of the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, the Bulawayo Mayor’s Office and members of the Reformed Church in Zimbabwe congregation.
