Zimbabwe Returnees Struggle Without Jobs or Government Support

Samantha Chimbuya had built something most Zimbabweans dream of: stability. In South Africa, she had work, food security, and access to healthcare for her two children. But when anti-immigrant activists set a June 30 deadline for undocumented migrants to leave, she packed her belongings and returned to Hurungwe in northern Zimbabwe.

“It was not safe any more,” she told Al Jazeera. “They were raiding our homes, warning us to leave. It was scary.”

She wasn’t alone. By late July, more than 116,000 Zimbabweans had returned from South Africa, according to government figures. Some came because they were forced out by rising xenophobia. Others left voluntarily, fearing the violence that seemed imminent as March and March, an anti-immigrant activist group, pressured undocumented migrants to leave.

The Reality Back Home

What awaited these returnees was grim. Unlike their experiences abroad, Zimbabwe offered little in the way of opportunity. Chimbuya found herself struggling to secure employment, relying instead on family and friends for survival. The government grants she hoped would help her start a small business never materialized.

Reverend Useni Sibanda, executive director of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, put it plainly: “They are coming back to a country where there are no jobs and where the social support systems may not be enough to accommodate them.”

Many returnees hadn’t invested in homes or property while abroad, leaving them with virtually nothing to fall back on. They’d spent years building careers in South Africa, only to find themselves starting from scratch in an economy that offered few opportunities.

When Skills Travel

Sidney Bunya’s story offers a different trajectory. The Zvimba resident left Zimbabwe in 2020 and eventually became a skilled carpenter in Port Elizabeth, specializing in roof trusses. But when employers grew reluctant to hire him due to anti-immigrant harassment, he made a calculated decision.

Bunya bought carpentry tools, shipped them home, and started his own business before the June 30 deadline. Using his savings, he transformed his South African expertise into a functioning enterprise that now employs five people and supports his family. “It was difficult to set up the business,” he said. “But I am getting more jobs now.”

His experience highlights what works: practical skills combined with access to capital. But for every Sidney Bunya, there are thousands of returnees without either.

The Support Gap

Government responses have been tepid. Local government Minister Daniel Garwe announced that authorities were screening returnees to identify skills and needs, with reintegration centres being established. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Schools mentioned possibly recruiting qualified teachers among the returned population.

But these measures felt inadequate to those on the ground. News of government support rarely translated into actual assistance for struggling returnees.

Churches have stepped in where government faltered, providing shelter, food, and transport, while also offering training in welding, carpentry, and computer science. Yet Ray Motsi, president of the Theological College of Zimbabwe, argued these efforts weren’t enough. “We need a deliberate programme to reintegrate these people,” he said, criticizing the government for abandoning those returning after years abroad.

What’s Needed

Human rights activist Rashweat Mukundu called for longer-term assistance including small grants, agricultural inputs, and machinery to help people establish sustainable livelihoods. The challenge, he noted, wasn’t simply getting Zimbabweans across the border but ensuring they could remain economically secure once they arrived.

One returnee planning to open a grocery store summed up the core problem: “I plan to open a grocery store, but funding is a challenge.”

This reflects a broader crisis. Zimbabwe created the conditions that forced these people to leave in the first place, and their return hasn’t changed the fundamental economic realities that drove their departure. Without deliberate, well-funded reintegration programmes, these returnees risk becoming trapped between two countries, welcomed by neither.

Source: Al Jazeera