The welfare of Zimbabweans returning from South Africa has raised concern amid warnings of possible El Niño conditions, with officials identifying them as a vulnerable group that may need additional assistance if the country experiences severe climate impacts.
The issue emerged during a review workshop of Bulawayo’s disaster risk contingency plan at the Mhlahlandlela Government Complex. The three-day workshop, which began on Tuesday, is running until Thursday.
Bishop Lazarus Mpande Khanye, a leader in the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD), urged stakeholders to consider how the predicted El Niño conditions could affect returnees who are already struggling to rebuild their lives.
Khanye said 710 of the 2,777 returnees received at the United Church of Christ in Southern Africa (UCCSA) reception centre were in Bulawayo, where many were facing difficult living conditions.
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“We have been conducting home visits to assess how they are settling in, and honestly, the situation is not good,” he said.
He said the organisation had conducted 35 home visits and distributed grocery hampers, basic household items and dignity packs, but more assistance was needed.
Khanye described the challenges facing families returning to homes where accommodation was limited and income opportunities scarce.
“Imagine a family returning from South Africa, a mother with four minor children, going back to a family home in which some of the rooms are being sublet to tenants. What kind of living arrangements do you think they have?” he said.
“Most of these people are still trying to find their feet. They have no source of income to provide for themselves. How are they getting by?”
He said assistance from the government, churches, businesses and individuals had helped during the initial reception period but needed to continue as returnees settled into their communities.
“As we think of El Niño, we need to spare a thought for how they will be affected, with no disposable income, no adequate accommodation, and some suffering from ill-health and unable to afford medication,” he said.
Khanye also commended the Zimbabwe Republic Police for maintaining order at the reception centre and the government for facilitating access to healthcare and education for returning families.
He said police officers had remained at the church to help maintain order, while sick returnees were able to access medical assistance and school-age children were being enrolled in schools.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube said the response to the arrival of returnees had benefited from coordination between churches, government departments and other stakeholders.
“When we were receiving returnees, we had a well-coordinated plan that helped so much. The churches worked well in union with other stakeholders. That was a job well done,” she said.
Ncube said UCCSA, which initially served as a reception centre, was now operating as a transit facility for people arriving from South Africa while arrangements were made for them to reach their final destinations.
She thanked the government, churches, the business community and other groups that had supported the returnees, saying the experience offered lessons for improving the province’s disaster preparedness and risk management plans.
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