The Zimbabwean government says a total of 58,768 Zimbabweans had returned home from South Africa by 2 July 2026 as authorities continue to coordinate one of the country’s largest repatriation and reintegration operations.
In an update issued on Friday, Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said 11,065 returnees had been repatriated through the Government-assisted programme, while a further 47,703 people had made their own way back to Zimbabwe.
The figures bring the cumulative number of Zimbabweans who have returned from South Africa to 58,768.
Charamba said the Zimbabwean Embassy in Pretoria and the country’s consulates in South Africa were coordinating the movement of Zimbabweans from various parts of the country to the Musina Temporary Repatriation Centre, including those travelling from Cape Town and Durban.
The diplomatic missions are also distributing food and toiletries to those in need, arranging transport and providing temporary shelter for Zimbabweans awaiting clearance by South African authorities before returning home.
About 600 Zimbabweans were, as of Thursday, being processed at the Epping Repatriation Centre in Cape Town before being transferred to Musina for onward travel to Zimbabwe.
To support the repatriation exercise, Government-hired buses continue to ferry returnees home, with the fleet boosted by donations from the Bridging Gaps Foundation, led by Kudakwashe Tagwirei, which provided 11 buses. Businessmen Esau Mupfumi and Paul Tungwarara have also contributed six buses to the operation.
Medical support has also been strengthened, with two ambulances deployed to the Beitbridge Reception Centre through the Higherlife Foundation and Life Foundation.
Charamba said several humanitarian organisations have joined the relief effort by providing food, blankets and welfare services for vulnerable returnees. These include the World Food Programme, UNICEF, No-One Sleeps Hungry and Life Foundation, which have also established child-friendly play centres and other amenities at reception facilities.
He also said South African authorities have assisted the exercise. The City of Cape Town provided 16 buses that transported Zimbabwean returnees to Musina on July 1, while the Adventist Relief and Development Agency (ADRA) donated a further eight buses for use in Cape Town.
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