Zimbabweans in Cape Town seek repatriation

Hundreds of Zimbabwean nationals have gathered outside Zimbabwe's consulate in Cape Town, pleading with authorities to assist them in returning home amid growing fears of xenophobic violence and mounting immigration challenges in South Africa.

By Thursday, large suitcases and bags wrapped in plastic lined the pavements surrounding the consulate, while men, women and children huddled under blankets and jackets to shield themselves from the winter cold. Many spent Wednesday night sleeping on the streets and faced the prospect of another night outdoors as they waited for assistance.

Among them was Marian Gwanyira, who arrived from Dunoon with her husband and six-month-old baby.

"I want to go to Zimbabwe because of xenophobia," she said, explaining that neighbours had recently threatened her and told her "Abahambe", meaning "They must leave."

Gwanyira moved to South Africa in 2024 in search of better economic opportunities.

"In Zimbabwe there's no jobs," she said.

Like many others gathered outside the consulate, she says she has little choice but to spend another night sleeping on the pavement while waiting for a response from Zimbabwean authorities.

Spray Vandai, who has been living in Gugulethu for the past four years, said difficulties in regularising his immigration status had left him vulnerable.

"I don't want to be undocumented," he said.

Originally from Harare, Vandai said he had repeatedly approached the Department of Home Affairs to renew his expired asylum seeker permit but had been turned away on each occasion.

He estimated that about 300 people had approached the consulate since Wednesday seeking assistance to return to Zimbabwe, driven by fears of violence and uncertainty ahead of the June 30 deadline set by anti-immigrant activists.

Vandai has been assisting fellow Zimbabweans by compiling lists of those requesting repatriation. According to him, people have travelled from across the Western Cape, including Bredasdorp, Hermanus, Mfuleni and Khayelitsha.

He said many migrants were also struggling economically as employers increasingly demanded valid documentation.

"Most people are getting fired now because they don't have the right documentation," Vandai said.

The developments come amid reports of increasing voluntary repatriation by foreign nationals across South Africa in response to anti-immigrant tensions.

In Durban, thousands of migrants have reportedly gathered outside Sherwood Hall seeking assistance, while hundreds of Nigerians have boarded flights from Johannesburg and large numbers of Malawians have reportedly left communities in the Overberg region of the Western Cape.

Rangano John Chamisa, who travelled from Bredasdorp to Cape Town early on Thursday, described the growing sense of fear among migrants.

"If you are not a foreigner, you are fine," he said.

Chamisa said that unless transport arrangements were made soon, he and many others would be forced to spend another freezing night outside the consulate.

Efforts to obtain comment from the Zimbabwean consulate in Cape Town were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

The situation highlights the growing uncertainty facing many foreign nationals in South Africa as concerns over immigration, documentation and community tensions continue to escalate.