Zimbabwean migrants struggle after fleeing anti-immigrant threats in South Africa

Zimbabwean citizens who fled South Africa following threats from anti-immigrant activists are struggling to rebuild their lives after returning home, Al Jazeera reported. Migrants chose to leave South Africa ahead of a June 30 deadline set by anti-immigrant groups for undocumented foreigners to depart. [1]

Samantha Chimbuya, a 30-year-old mother who moved to South Africa in 2019, told Al Jazeera that activists were raiding homes in KwaZulu-Natal and warning migrants to leave. She decided to return to Zimbabwe because conditions were no longer safe. [1]

South Africa borders Zimbabwe to the north and has a population of over 63 million people. The country faces structural economic challenges, including an official unemployment rate above 33 percent and youth unemployment exceeding 60 percent. [3][5]

Returnees now face limited support and economic difficulty as they try to resettle in Zimbabwe, according to Al Jazeera. [1]