Samantha Chimbuya had built a life in South Africa after leaving Zimbabwe in 2019 in search of better opportunities.
asserted
Chimbuya → build → opportunities
She found work, could afford food and believed her two children had access to better education.
uncertain
children → find → education
She also had access to healthcare.
asserted
She → have → healthcare
Then, she no longer felt safe.
asserted
she → feel → ?
As June 30 approached, a deadline set by anti-immigrant activists for undocumented migrants to leave South Africa, the 30-year-old packed her belongings and returned to Zimbabwe.
asserted
old → approach → Zimbabwe
They were raiding our homes, warning us to leave.
asserted
They → raid → us
It was scary,” Chimbuya told Al Jazeera.
asserted
Chimbuya → tell → Jazeera
Chimbuya was living in KwaZulu-Natal when anti-immigrant protests intensified.
asserted
protests → live → Natal
March and March, one of the groups behind the June 30 deadline, accused undocumented migrants of taking jobs and putting pressure on public services.
asserted
March → accuse → services
The deadline was not imposed by the South African government, which said June 30 would be a normal day and warned against intimidation and violence.
asserted
June → impose → intimidation
But thousands of migrants left amid fears of unrest.
asserted
thousands → leave → unrest
Some governments organised transport for citizens returning home.
asserted
governments → organise → citizens
Chimbuya paid for her own journey to Hurungwe, in northern Zimbabwe.
asserted
Chimbuya → pay → Zimbabwe
By July 28, 116,670 Zimbabweans had returned from South Africa, according to Information Minister Zhemu Soda.
uncertain
Zimbabweans → return → Soda
Of those, 36,940 were assisted by the government, while 79,730 returned independently.
asserted
79,730 → assist → government
A further 38,057 had registered for employment, Soda said.
asserted
Soda → register → employment
Hard times in Zimbabwe
For Chimbuya, coming home meant confronting many of the economic difficulties that had pushed her to leave in the first place.
asserted
that → come → place
She has struggled to find work and now relies on family and friends for help.
asserted
She → struggle → help
Her husband remains in South Africa, where she says he is also struggling.
asserted
he → remain → Africa
She had hoped to receive a grant to start a small business but said she had not received one.
asserted
she → hop → one
Reverend Useni Sibanda, executive director of the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, said many returnees had spent years abroad and were coming home without jobs or adequate support.
asserted
returnees → say → jobs
Some had not invested in homes or property in Zimbabwe while they were away, he said, leaving them with little to fall back on.
asserted
he → invest → little
“They are coming back to a country where there are no jobs and where the social support systems may not be enough to accommodate them,” Sibanda said.
uncertain
Sibanda → come → them
The government says it is trying to help.
asserted
it → say → ?
Local government Minister Daniel Garwe said authorities were screening and profiling returnees to identify their skills and needs.
asserted
authorities → say → skills
Reintegration centres were being established, while the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Schools was considering recruiting qualified teachers among those who had returned.
asserted
who → establish → those
Garwe also said companies were being encouraged to employ skilled returnees and that vocational training and support for people wanting to start businesses were being considered.
asserted
training → say → businesses
For some, however, the skills they acquired in South Africa have offered a more immediate route to earning a living.
asserted
they → acquire → living
Rebuilding from scratch
Sidney Bunya, from Zvimba, northeast of Harare, left Zimbabwe in March 2020 because of economic hardship.
asserted
Bunya → rebuild → hardship
He moved first to Johannesburg, where he took various jobs, before settling in Port Elizabeth.
asserted
he → move → Elizabeth
There, a cousin introduced him to professional carpenters.
asserted
cousin → introduce → carpenters
Bunya honed his skills and eventually secured large projects, specialising in roof trusses.
But in 2026, groups demanding permits began raiding his workplace.
asserted
groups → hone → workplace
Bunya had only his passport, and employers became reluctant to hire him because of the harassment.
asserted
employers → have → harassment
He bought carpentry tools, shipped them to Zimbabwe and left South Africa before the June 30 deadline.
asserted
He → buy → deadline
Using his savings, he started a business at home.
asserted
he → use → home
It now supports his family and employs five people.
asserted
It → support → people
“It was difficult to set up the business.
asserted
It → set → business
But I am getting more jobs now,” Bunya said.
asserted
Bunya → get → jobs
Motsi said churches had also partnered with local businesses to provide training in welding, carpentry and computer science.
asserted
churches → say → welding
Calls for longer-term support
Churches have been helping returnees with shelter, food and transport, but Ray Motsi, president of the Theological College of Zimbabwe, said the needs were overwhelming.
asserted
needs → help → Zimbabwe
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
