Zimbabweans struggle to rebuild after fleeing xenophobia in South Africa

What the report says

Zimbabweans who left South Africa amid anti-immigrant hostility are now struggling to rebuild their lives back home, according to Al Jazeera. The report, published Oct. 4, 2026, says many returnees arrived in Zimbabwe after tensions rose around a June 30 deadline issued by anti-migrant activists, not by the South African government. The article describes how people fled raids, intimidation and fears of violence, with some paying their own way back while others received government assistance.

Al Jazeera cites Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Zhemu Soda as saying that by July 28, 116,670 Zimbabweans had returned from South Africa, including 36,940 who were assisted by the government and 79,730 who came back independently. Another 38,057 had registered for jobs. The report says many returnees now face unemployment, limited savings and weak support systems in Zimbabwe, where they had originally gone abroad seeking better pay, services and stability.

The story highlights the case of Samantha Chimbuya, who returned from KwaZulu-Natal and is struggling to find work, and Sidney Bunya, who used skills learned in South Africa to start a carpentry business in Zimbabwe. Local church groups and civil society figures told Al Jazeera that short-term help such as transport and shelter is not enough, and they urged longer-term support such as grants, training and business inputs to help returnees become financially secure. The Zimbabwean government says it is screening returnees, setting up reintegration centers and considering employment and training measures.