Some Zimbabwean asylum seekers who were staying in a temporary shelter at the Musina Show Grounds are reportedly now flocking back into their country through the Beit Bridge border post.

The Zimbabwean principal immigration officer at Beit Bridge border post, Mr Dennis Chitsaka, told Mirror that they were receiving an average of about 50 voluntary returnees from South Africa daily, most of whom were unsuccessful asylum seekers.

“These people would have first approached our (Zimbabwean) embassy in Pretoria, where they were then offered assistance in the form of transport through our partners,” he said.

Mr Chitsaka said the number of arrivals has been on the increase since the closure of the temporary shelter at Musina Show Grounds by the Department of Home Affairs, with statistics indicating that 81 702 people entered the country through Beit Bridge in February, a sharp increase compared to the 70 614 in January.

Most of the voluntary returnees were living in dire conditions in South Africa. Some of the asylum seekers are still staying at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg and in the open surrounding areas after the South African authorities opted for a mass forceful evacuation of Zimbabweans from the Musina Show Grounds last week, together with the removal of the Home Affairs asylum-processing office to a site outside town. At the show grounds, shelters were burnt down and asylum seekers instructed to move on.

Several Zimbabweans fled the country in search of greener pastures in neighbouring countries such as South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, following the collapse of that country’s economy. It is, however, hoped that, following the formation of the new all-inclusive government, the economy of that country will once again reclaim its former status.