adminshould be taken in positive light as an opportunity for those returning to help rebuild the country.
We need not necessarily commiserate with the deportees who were staying in a foreign land without adequate paperwork against the laws of that country. Zimbabwe has also had to show the door to other nationals found to have sneaked into the country for one reason or the other, without the requisite papers.
Therefore, the SA government is only doing the most logical thing despite an outcry over this move.
Those that failed to regularise their papers by the July 31 deadline should have seen this coming. The clampdown is largely targeting those without passports and others trying to enter the country through illegal points.
Some Zimbabweans have been living in fear of the xenophobic attacks that engulfed SA a few years ago and recent threats of a similar wave have left them jittery.
Therefore, the deportation could, in some way, relieve pressure on social services and somewhat quell murmurings by SA citizens who have largely blamed immigrants for poor service delivery in that country.
While this subject is debatable, the SA government’s clean-up exercise will certainly work well for a country that has seen the bulk of its poor people living in shacks.
We sincerely hope the exercise will be conducted in as humanely a manner as is possible. The fact that the International Organisation for Migration is providing transport, accommodation and other necessities is commendable.
Furthermore, that the SA Home Affairs Ministry has adopted a more thorough assessment strategy as opposed to a wholesale approach applied previously shows that the intention is not to embarrass anyone but to flush out illegal immigrants many of whom may have jumped the border.
Those deported should find comfort in improving conditions back home. They will be pleasantly surprised by what they will see in shops and the improved standard of living compared to what prevailed when they left.
It is understood that SA holds the bulk of Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora and that many of these people have been away for three to six years.
So far close to 600 Zimbabweans have come home over the past few days and the SA Government says it will be deporting Zimbabweans twice a week until the programme is completed.
Thousands of Zimbabweans who failed to regularise their papers over the amnesty period that began in May 2009 to July this year face deportation.
Some have been doing menial jobs while others have been engaged in high-skilled portfolios. These could come in handy back home.
Zimbabwe’s skills base had largely migrated to the Diaspora, particularly during the hyper-inflation era. However, the landscape has since changed, with the socio-political and economic environment now way better than in the pre-2009 period.
Therefore, those being sent home have somewhere to start from and it is only fair that they take part in revamping the economy for posterity.
It was excusable during the turbulent years for thousands of people to have left in search of greener pastures but there is not much justification now. Formal employment is still scarce but the returnees can engage in meaningful income generating projects to improve their lot and contribute to national development.
Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom are also facing threats of massive deportation while those that were seeking asylum may be forced back home because the UK government now acknowledges the significant progress made in this country.
The message also finally got home that some of the reports about the state of affairs here were exaggerated as people sought the sympathy of the British Government.
The current global economic crisis is forcing such countries as the UK to trim their population through sending illegal immigrants back to their respective countries.
Economies in Europe are finding it increasingly challenging to carry other nationals on their backs when they can hardly afford to look after their own.
Resultantly, we will also witness an influx of Diasporans streaming back home. In some instances, the hardship will force some back without having to be pushed by the home office.
Zimbabwe now offers a better standard of living for its nationals in many respects compared to some countries, as attested to by some Diasporans themselves.
The numbers expected home are not insignificant hence the need for Government, local authorities and other service providers to proffer more efficient services while upgrading infrastructure in anticipation of more pressure on services.
The police will also need to be on the look out to ensure that those that may feel redundant psychologically, do not turn to crime as an avenue to get back at a system they may view to have “failed” them. They will naturally need to adjust to the way of life here and this may present challenges that require all systems to be on guard.
Overall we welcome those that are coming back and we hope they will complement initiatives to foster political stability and economic growth.
More investments by foreign and local investors will also create more jobs and wealth to be shared with those that had taken leave of this country.
It should all work out for the good of our country.
Online Reporter