SA: Transport Dispute Leaves Zimbabweans Stranded At Middelburg Taxi Rank

Nearly 200 Zimbabwean nationals have been stranded at a taxi rank in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa, for the past four days, as a dispute among local transport operators delays their repatriation.

The group includes women, children and elderly people who have been waiting to return home. Many said they were forced to leave their communities after landlords evicted them amid growing safety concerns.

According to eNCA, the Zimbabweans have been living in the open at the rank and are pleading for assistance, saying conditions on the street have been difficult.

Buses sent by the Embassy of Zimbabwe arrived on Monday to transport the group to Johannesburg for processing.

However, the operation was disrupted after local taxi associations refused to allow buses from outside Middelburg to transport the migrants.

Some taxi operators at the rank have also demanded upfront payment before moving the group, adding to the deadlock.

Those stranded said they cannot return to the communities they came from and now want to be repatriated to Zimbabwe, citing fears for their safety.

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