Zimbabweans struggle to rebuild after fleeing xenophobia in South Africa

Returnees face economic hardship and limited support as they try to rebuild in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabweans returning from South Africa face the challenge of rebuilding their livelihoods after fleeing anti-immigrant hostility and violence [Mike Hutchings/Reuters]

Mutare, Zimbabwe – Samantha Chimbuya had built a life in South Africa after leaving Zimbabwe in 2019 in search of better opportunities.

She found work, could afford food and believed her two children had access to better education. She also had access to healthcare.

Then, she no longer felt safe.

As June 30 approached, a deadline set by anti-immigrant activists for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, the 30-year-old packed her belongings and returned to Zimbabwe.

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

Chimbuya was living in KwaZulu-Natal when anti-immigrant protests intensified. March and March, one of the groups behind the June 30 deadline, accused undocumented migrants of taking jobs and putting pressure on public services.

The deadline was not imposed by the South African government, which said June 30 would be a normal day and warned against intimidation and violence. But thousands of migrants left amid fears of unrest.

Some governments organised transport for citizens returning home. Chimbuya paid for her own journey to Hurungwe, in northern Zimbabwe.

By July 28, 116,670 Zimbabweans had returned from South Africa, according to Information Minister Zhemu Soda. Of those, 36,940 were assisted by the government, while 79,730 returned independently. A further 38,057 had registered for employment, Soda said.

Hard times in Zimbabwe

For Chimbuya, coming home meant confronting many of the economic difficulties that had pushed her to leave in the first place.

She has struggled to find work and now relies on family and friends for help. Her husband remains in South Africa, where she says he is also struggling.

She had hoped to receive a grant to start a small business but said she had not received one.

Reverend Useni Sibanda, executive director of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, said many returnees had spent years abroad and were coming home without jobs or adequate support.

Some had not invested in homes or property in Zimbabwe while they were away, he said, leaving them with little to fall back on.

“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,” Sibanda said.

The government says it is trying to help.

Local government Minister Daniel Garwe said authorities were screening and profiling returnees to identify their skills and needs. Reintegration centres were being established, while the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Schools was considering recruiting qualified teachers among those who had returned.

Garwe also said companies were being encouraged to employ skilled returnees and that vocational training and support for people wanting to start businesses were being considered.

For some, however, the skills they acquired in South Africa have offered a more immediate route to earning a living.

Rebuilding from scratch

Sidney Bunya, from Zvimba, northeast of Harare, left Zimbabwe in March 2020 because of economic hardship.

He moved first to Johannesburg, where he took various jobs, before settling in Port Elizabeth. There, a cousin introduced him to professional carpenters.

Bunya honed his skills and eventually secured large projects, specialising in roof trusses.

But in 2026, groups demanding permits began raiding his workplace. Bunya had only his passport, and employers became reluctant to hire him because of the harassment.

He bought carpentry tools, shipped them to Zimbabwe and left South Africa before the June 30 deadline.

Using his savings, he started a business at home. It now supports his family and employs five people.

“It was difficult to set up the business. But I am getting more jobs now,” Bunya said.

Motsi said churches had also partnered with local businesses to provide training in welding, carpentry and computer science.

Calls for longer-term support

Churches have been helping returnees with shelter, food and transport, but Ray Motsi, president of the Theological College of Zimbabwe, said the needs were overwhelming.

He criticised the government for not doing enough to support people returning after years abroad.

“We need a deliberate programme to reintegrate these people,” Motsi said, arguing that returnees needed more than transport home.

Rashweat Mukundu, a human rights activist in Harare, said the government should provide longer-term assistance, including small grants, agricultural inputs and machinery, to help people establish livelihoods.

The challenge, he said, was not simply getting Zimbabweans across the border but helping them remain economically secure once they arrived.

“I plan to open a grocery store, but funding is a challenge.”

返回津巴布韦的人们在重建家园的过程中面临着经济困难和支持不足的问题。

从南非返回津巴布韦的人们面临着重建生计的挑战，他们此前曾逃离反移民的敌意和暴力。[迈克·哈钦斯/路透社]

津巴布韦穆塔雷——萨曼莎·钦布亚 (Samantha Chimbuya) 于 2019 年离开津巴布韦，前往南非寻求更好的发展机会，并在南非建立了自己的生活。

她找到了工作，能负担得起食物，并且相信她的两个孩子能够接受更好的教育。她也能享受到医疗保健服务。

然后，她不再感到安全了。

随着反移民活动人士设定的无证移民离开南非的最后期限——6月30日临近，这位30岁的女子收拾好行李，返回了津巴布韦。

“那里已经不再安全了。他们搜查我们的家，警告我们离开。太可怕了，”钦布亚告诉半岛电视台。

奇姆布亚居住在夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省时，反移民抗议活动愈演愈烈。“三月与三月”组织是6月30日最后期限的幕后推手之一，该组织指责非法移民抢走工作，并给公共服务带来压力。

南非政府并未设定最后期限，并表示6月30日将照常进行，同时警告民众不要进行恐吓和暴力行为。但由于担心发生动乱，数千名移民还是离开了南非。

一些政府为返乡公民安排了交通工具。钦布亚自费前往津巴布韦北部的胡伦圭。

据新闻部长泽姆·索达称，截至7月28日，已有116,670名津巴布韦人从南非返回。其中，36,940人由政府协助返回，79,730人自行返回。索达表示，另有38,057人已登记就业。

津巴布韦的艰难时期

对钦布亚来说，回家意味着要面对当初迫使她离开的许多经济困难。

她一直找不到工作，现在只能依靠家人和朋友的帮助。她的丈夫仍然留在南非，她说他在那里也过得很艰难。

她原本希望获得一笔补助金来创办一家小企业，但她说她并没有收到。

津巴布韦基督教联盟执行主任乌塞尼·西班达牧师表示，许多回国人员在国外生活多年，回国后没有工作或足够的经济支持。

他说，有些人在离开津巴布韦期间没有在当地投资房屋或房产，导致他们几乎没有任何积蓄可以依靠。

“他们回到一个没有工作机会、社会保障体系可能不足以接纳他们的国家，”西班达说。

政府表示正在尽力提供帮助。

地方政府部长丹尼尔·加维表示，当局正在对返乡人员进行筛选和信息收集，以确定他们的技能和需求。目前正在设立重返社会中心，同时中小学教育部也在考虑从返乡人员中招聘合格教师。

加维还表示，政府鼓励企业雇用有技能的返乡人员，并正在考虑为想要创业的人提供职业培训和支持。

然而，对于一些人来说，他们在南非获得的技能为他们提供了一条更直接的谋生途径。

从零开始重建

来自哈拉雷东北部兹维姆巴的西德尼·布尼亚 (Sidney Bunya) 由于经济困难于 2020 年 3 月离开津巴布韦。

他先搬到约翰内斯堡，在那里做过各种各样的工作，之后定居在伊丽莎白港。在那里，一位表兄把他介绍给了专业的木匠。

邦亚不断磨练技艺，最终获得了大型项目，尤其擅长屋顶桁架。

但到了2026年，一些要求发放许可证的团体开始突袭他的工作场所。布尼亚当时只有护照，而且由于受到骚扰，雇主们也不愿雇用他。

他购买了木工工具，将它们运往津巴布韦，并在6月30日截止日期前离开了南非。

他用自己的积蓄在家创业。现在，这家公司不仅养活了他的家人，还雇佣了五名员工。

“创业初期很艰难，但我现在接到的活儿越来越多了，”布尼亚说道。

莫齐表示，教堂还与当地企业合作，提供焊接、木工和计算机科学方面的培训。

呼吁提供长期支持

教会一直在帮助返乡者提供住所、食物和交通工具，但津巴布韦神学院院长雷·莫齐表示，需求量巨大。

他批评政府在支持海外多年后回国的人员方面做得不够。

莫齐表示：“我们需要一个周密的计划来帮助这些人重新融入社会”，他认为，返乡者需要的不仅仅是回家的交通工具。

哈拉雷的人权活动家拉什维特·穆昆杜表示，政府应该提供长期援助，包括小额赠款、农业投入品和机械设备，以帮助人们建立生计。

他说，挑战不仅在于如何让津巴布韦人越过边境，还在于如何帮助他们抵达后保持经济安全。

“我计划开一家杂货店，但资金是个难题。”