The Zimbabwean government is coordinating a large-scale return of its nationals from South Africa, following weeks of rising tension and an unofficial June 30 deadline set by the anti-illegal-immigration group March and March and allied organisations.
Dozens of government-funded buses are ferrying citizens, many of whom are undocumented, from multiple South African cities to the Beitbridge Border Post for processing and organised repatriation.
In Cape Town, three buses carrying returnees have already left for Beitbridge, while two more departed for Johannesburg, where processing can move faster before the journey continues onward.
About 1,000 Zimbabwean nationals remain at the Epping Repatriation Centre awaiting transport once their paperwork is complete. Officials say additional buses are on standby for this group.
The Zimbabwean government has said the entire operation, including buses, staffing and logistics, is being funded by the state.
In Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), two buses are travelling directly to Beitbridge. In Johannesburg, eleven buses are on standby at Old Chancery, where roughly 600 people are being processed, and five more buses are stationed at Powerhouse, handling a further 300 individuals.
Departures from both sites are expected shortly. Additional buses have also been dispatched from other collection points, including Durban, bound for the Beitbridge–Musina crossing.
The June 30 “deadline” set by the March and March movement and echoed by other groups, including elements of Operation Dudula and supporters of the uMkhonto weSizwe party, has driven fear among undocumented foreign nationals across South Africa, prompting many to leave the country pre-emptively rather than risk confrontation.
Zimbabwean authorities say cooperation with their South African counterparts has been strong, and the two governments have agreed to shift identity screening and profiling to the Beitbridge Border Post itself to speed up processing and improve the safety of returnees. Officials have also acknowledged bottlenecks at the border, including buses arriving without the required travel documentation, which has slowed some crossings.
South African officials have urged that protests remain within lawful bounds and have reported that, while there have been isolated incidents, there has not been widespread violence. Zimbabwe is not alone in organising an evacuation: Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also arranged repatriation transport for their citizens.
The situation remains fluid, with continued arrivals at Beitbridge and other border posts expected in the coming days. #Securitynewsalert.com
