Zimbabweans camp at Cape Town consulate seeking repatriation amid 30 June threats
Zimbabweans camp at Cape Town consulate seeking repatriation amid 30 June threats
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A group of Zimbabwean nationals, including children, have camped outside the Zimbabwean consulate in Cape Town asking for assistance to return home, saying they no longer feel safe in South Africa.
According to reporting carried by Pindula News, the group has been waiting outside the diplomatic mission with luggage, seeking help with travel arrangements ahead of a 30 June deadline that anti-immigration groups have reportedly set for undocumented foreigners to leave the country.
One of the Zimbabweans, Francis Sibande, told SABC News that the group fears for their lives amid threats they say they are receiving in their communities.
“There are so many threats which we meet even if you’re in the streets. Yes, of course, our landlords, they do not have a problem with us, but we are scared as we are living in the location, the words we are getting from other people saying ‘I think for you guys to be safe it’s rather better while there is still time, you must go back before 30 of June so that you be not in crisis’,” Sibande said.
In a related development, South Africa’s acting national police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Puleng Dimpane, warned that police would act against anyone who breaks the law during marches or protests, saying plans are in place to maintain order amid rising immigration-related tensions.
Dimpane made the remarks after joining South African and Malawian officials on an oversight visit to a temporary repatriation centre in Durban on Sunday, where displaced, undocumented Malawian nationals are reportedly being processed.
She said police have sufficient resources and have so far been able to manage the situation.
The developments are being closely watched by families in Mashonaland Central, where many households rely on relatives working in South Africa for remittances. Any disruption to migrant safety or movement can have direct effects on income, school fees and day-to-day livelihoods back home.
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