Zimbabwe funds $1 million to evacuate thousands of citizens from South Africa

Zimbabwean businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei pledged US$1 million through the Bridging Gaps Foundation to finance a large‑scale repatriation of roughly 20,000 Zimbabweans stranded in South Africa. The donation will cover the purchase and operation of buses to transport migrants from South African cities to the Beitbridge border post and onward to communities in Zimbabwe, a plan accepted by the Zimbabwean Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

In late June, thousands of Zimbabwean nationals who had occupied Durban’s Shallcross sports field were escorted onto buses under a strong police presence and returned home. Community leaders and local officials warned that anti‑illegal‑immigration groups were threatening undocumented migrants, prompting the humanitarian operation. The Border Management Authority reported that more than 35,000 foreign nationals, including around 7,000 Malawians, have already left South Africa via Beitbridge, highlighting the broader regional pressure on migrants.

The repatriation effort comes amid rising anti‑immigrant sentiment in South Africa and reflects a coordinated response between private donors, Zimbabwean authorities, and South African agencies to address the urgent humanitarian needs of stranded migrants.