Zimbabwe reports over 78,000 nationals return from South Africa amid xenophobia concerns

The Zimbabwean government says more than 78,100 citizens have returned from South Africa since May, with 21,291 repatriated through government‑assisted arrangements and 56,832 travelling home independently, Information Minister Zhemu Soda announced. Measures to manage the influx include a 24‑hour inter‑ministerial command centre at the Beitbridge border, deployment of buses, health screening, psychosocial support and a reintegration programme coordinated by an inter‑ministerial committee.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa urged returning Zimbabweans to come home, assuring them of “seamless, safe and dignified” reintegration and calling on traditional leaders, churches, families and the private sector to assist. Government figures cited by the president put the total number of returnees at 58,768, of whom 11,065 were aided by state‑facilitated repatriation. The administration highlighted plans to involve returnees in the country’s Vision 2030 industrialisation drive.