South Africa: 197,000 Zimbabweans have returned home, including 18,447 children among those assisted

More than 197,000 Zimbabweans have returned from South Africa, according to figures finalized on October 6, 2026, by the Zimbabwean government, presented by Acting Minister of Information Paul Mavima during a press briefing following the Cabinet meeting and reported on October 21, 2026, by the Harare-based site 263Chat.

The breakdown distinguishes between two flows. Returns organized by the state involve 42,553 people: 10,475 adult men, 13,631 adult women, 9,001 boys, and 9,446 girls, totaling 18,447 children. In addition to this, 154,741 people returned by their own means, whom the government classifies as self-repatriated.

Paul Mavima states that the movement has "slowed down significantly" for both categories, without providing previous figures to measure this decline. He adds that the country "is ready to respond" to any potential new influx.

Where this movement comes from

These returns began at the end of May 2026, in a climate of strong hostility toward migrants in South Africa. The anti-immigration collective March and March had set an informal deadline of June 30 for undocumented individuals to "self-deport," according to Africanews. By mid-July, Harare had already recorded nearly 100,000 returns, more than 70% of whom were women and children. Authorities estimate that about two million of their nationals live in South Africa and expected more than half of them to leave.

The crossing takes place at the Beitbridge border post, where all arrivals are registered and where a reception center provides transport, food, accommodation, and care, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Doctors Without Borders, and UN agencies. As of September 24, 700 people had been received there from the South African Lindela detention center. Some deported individuals were serving sentences in South African prisons and must complete them in Zimbabwe, Paul Mavima specifies.

A movement that goes beyond Zimbabwe

Harare also indicates that it has helped 87,012 Malawian nationals cross its territory to return to Malawi, and states that all of them have departed and been registered. Africanews reports that Zambians have also transited through Zimbabwe. The same weeks have therefore seen several African states organize the departure of their communities from a country on the continent.

The question that the figures do not resolve remains: what will become of the tens of thousands of people in their home country whose work and children's schooling had been established elsewhere for years. The reintegration program announced by Harare involves several ministries, civil society, and UN agencies, and provides for access to education for families. Its progress report has not yet been published.