The Government has scaled up efforts to safely bring Zimbabwean nationals back home from the Republic of South Africa, with Cabinet adopting a comprehensive update on the ongoing repatriation and reintegration exercise. Presenting the report, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. D. Garwe, said the operation is being guided by a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach to ensure the movement of citizens is safe, orderly and dignified.
To manage the influx, an Inter-Ministerial Committee has been established at the Beitbridge Reception Centre to oversee receiving, registration and onward transportation of returnees. As part of the response, Government has set up a 24-hour Command Centre at Beitbridge Border Post to coordinate all activities on the ground. Fifty ZUPCO buses have been deployed to ferry returnees from Beitbridge Reception Centre to their respective provinces, while reception and support services have been rolled out both at Beitbridge and at receiving district centres. These services include registration, profiling, health screening, social protection, psychosocial support and re-integration assistance to help returnees settle back into communities.
In addition, Government has provided temporary accommodation facilities for those in transit, established a temporary clinic and deployed ambulances for emergency response, and hired mobile ablution facilities to improve sanitation at reception points. Authorities say there is also continuous mobilisation of resources to sustain transportation, reception and re-integration operations. The private sector, United Nations agencies, other development partners and well-wishers are complementing Government efforts to ensure returnees are received with dignity.
According to the update, the repatriation exercise commenced on 28 May 2026. To date, approximately 21,291 Zimbabwean nationals have been repatriated through Government-assisted arrangements, while an estimated 56,832 have returned independently through self-repatriation mechanisms during the same period. The nation was also advised that Malawian nationals who had been stranded at Dulibadzimu in Beitbridge have since been successfully repatriated through the intervention of the relevant diplomatic mission.
Officials emphasised that the focus is now shifting beyond transportation to long-term reintegration. Returnees are being linked to social protection programs, health services and community support structures at district level to facilitate a smooth transition back home. The government reiterated that coordination will continue until all citizens who wish to return are safely assisted, and called on partners to keep supporting the exercise to ensure its sustainability.
