EDITORIAL COMMENT: Let’s assist returnees start new life Some of the displaced Zimbabweans at Beitbridge border post last night
Some of the displaced Zimbabweans at Beitbridge border post last night

Some of the displaced Zimbabweans at Beitbridge border post on Monday night

The first group of more than 400 Zimbabweans who were displaced by the ongoing xenophobic attacks in Durban, South Africa, arrived back home through Beitbridge border post on Monday night. The group is part of the nearly 2,000 Zimbabweans in Durban who have volunteered to be repatriated.

Zimbabweans working in South Africa are part of the thousands of Zimbabweans who are working in different countries. Some have been working in these countries for more than 20 years. Many of the Zimbabweans in the Diaspora are highly skilled individuals who were forced to seek greener pastures in other countries because of the economic challenges back home which were worsened by illegal sanctions imposed on the country by Britain and her allies as punishment for embarking on the land reform programme.

It is a fact that Zimbabwean skills are sought after the world over including in South Africa where some of these skilled workers have become victims of xenophobia. It is unfortunate that instead of being grateful to Zimbabweans and other foreigners for contributing to the growth of their economy, South Africans have decided to punish foreigners for being in their country.

It is sad to note that South Africans seem not to respect the sanctity of life and what is worse is that some of the victims of xenophobia are innocent children, many of them born in South Africa meaning they are South Africans by birth. Zimbabweans who have decided to return home should regard their stay in South Africa a closed chapter and start a new life.

Many of them witnessed gruesome murders of their beloved ones and will be traumatised for life. The savage killing of Zimbabweans and other foreigners in South Africa confirms the fact that there is no place better than home. We therefore want to implore returning Zimbabweans not to despair but instead to work hard so that they live better lives than what they were in South Africa.

Zimbabwe is endowed with resources that are yearning to be exploited by its citizens and what is encouraging is that most returning Zimbabweans have the requisite skills. The thrust is to rebuild the economy and it is and has always been the responsibility of each and every Zimbabwean to contribute to building a better Zimbabwe.

Government has already pledged its commitment to assisting the returning Zimbabweans to be re-united with their families. Many of the returnees left behind their property in South Africa which in most cases has either been looted or burnt.

What this means is that many of these people would need a lot of support to begin a new life and we want at this juncture to appeal to both government and non-governmental organisations to assist with the required resources. We have already alluded to the fact that many of these Zimbabweans forced out of SA by xenophobic attacks are highly skilled so if there are vacancies in both the private and public sectors, they should be absorbed.

The thrust should however be on creating employment using the abundant skills. Zimbabweans should stop mourning about being kicked out of SA but this disgusting act should instead spur them to work hard to grow their economy not just for themselves but for future generations as well.

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