Zimbabwe: 200,000 Zimbabweans Have So Far Fled South Africa’s Anti-Migrant Protests – Cabinet Told

JUST under 200,000 Zimbabweans have so far fled South Africa’s anti-migrant protests according to government.

Cabinet was on Tuesday told that a total of 197,294 people had been repatriated and reintegrated since vigilante groups started hunting foreigners in some of South Africa’s cities.

South Africa’s anti-migrant protests have been led by pressure groups such as Operation Dudula, March and March and former South African President Jacob Zuma who have made it public that Zimbabweans, Somalis, Nigerians, Ethiopians, Malawians and other African nationals in their country illegally should leave.

Although efforts to flush out foreigners peaked around June 30 when the vigilante groups made a national call to chase them out, lootings, acts of violence and displacement have continuously been noted, with Durban being the latest city to do so.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

Foreigners are being told to identify the nearest border from wherever they are and flee.

Of Zimbabwe’s 197,294 returnees 42,553 had been repatriated through government efforts which saw buses being dispatched as far as Cape Town to collect stranded nationals at its consulate.

“The nation is advised that the repatriation and re-integration of Zimbabwean nationals from South Africa has significantly declined, for both Government-supported returnees and self-repatriates,” reads Tuesday’s briefing.

“As at 6th October 2026, a total of 42,553 returnees had been repatriated through Government arrangements. The nationals comprise 10,475 male adults, 13,631 female adults, 9,001 male minors and 9,446 female minors.

“In addition, a cumulative total of 154,741 self-repatriations have been recorded to date.”

Government has involved the Joint Operations Command (JOC) in the screening of returnees, some of whom had been serving time in South African prisons.

Some 700 deportees were received from Lindela Prison Repatriation Centre in South Africa.

Added the Cabinet brief: “As at 24th September 2026, a total of 700 deportees from Lindela Prison Repatriation Centre in South Africa were received at the Beitbridge Reception and Support Centre.

“The involvement of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) remains paramount in the screening and handling process, given that some of the deportees are convicts who were serving sentences in South African prisons and are required to complete the remainder of their sentences in Zimbabwe.

Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox

To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.

There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

“Government continues to monitor the situation and is ready to respond to any possible influx of returnees in the future.”

Read the original article on New Zimbabwe.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.

AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa – aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.

Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox

To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you.

There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.