Zimbabwe says over 78,000 nationals have returned from South Africa amid xenophobia fears

The government says 78,112 Zimbabwean nationals have returned from South Africa since May amid fears of xenophobic attacks following threats by anti-migrant pressure groups.

The returnees comprise 21,291 people repatriated through government-assisted arrangements and 56,832 who funded their own journeys home, Information Minister Zhemu Soda said on Tuesday.

The repatriation exercise was launched on May 28 after anti-immigrant groups in South Africa issued an unofficial June 30 ultimatum demanding that foreign nationals leave the country or face nationwide protests.

The threats sparked anxiety among migrant communities, prompting several African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to begin repatriating their citizens.

Zimbabwe’s consular offices in South Africa have also been inundated with requests for assistance from citizens seeking transport back home.

Images and videos circulating on social media have shown Zimbabweans sleeping in the open and enduring harsh winter conditions while awaiting transport, although the government has maintained that the situation is under control.

Addressing journalists in Harare, Soda said the majority of Zimbabweans had returned without government assistance.

“To date, approximately 21,291 Zimbabwean nationals have been repatriated through Government-assisted arrangements since the commencement of the exercise on 28th May 2026, while an estimated 56,832 returned independently through self-repatriation mechanisms during the same period,” he said.

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), about one million Zimbabweans live in South Africa, although some independent organisations estimate the figure to be more than two million.

Soda said the government had adopted a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to facilitate the safe, orderly and dignified return and reintegration of citizens.

“To that end, an Inter-Ministerial Committee was established at the Beitbridge Reception Centre to oversee the receiving, registration and transportation of the returnees and a wide range of interventions are being implemented to facilitate the repatriation and re-integration exercise.”

He said authorities had put in place several measures to respond to the situation, including the establishment of a 24-hour inter-ministerial command centre at Beitbridge Border Post to coordinate operations.

The government has also deployed 50 ZUPCO buses to transport returnees from the Beitbridge Reception Centre to their respective provinces and is providing reception, registration, profiling, health screening, psychosocial support, social protection and reintegration services at both the border and district reception centres.

Soda added that the private sector, United Nations agencies, development partners and other well-wishers were complementing government efforts, although he did not provide further details.