Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa, Mr Simon Khaya-Moyo, has refuted media reports that many of the refugees at the Central Johannesburg Methodist church were Zimbabwean citizens, saying they are actually South Africans or refugees who came from other countries.

Ambassador Khaya-Moyo told Mirror that recent reports of Zimbabwean refugees who were evicted from the Musina Show Grounds were being orchestrated by people and organizations working against the new political dispensation in Zimbabwe.

“I don’t subscribe to the notion that Zimbabweans are refugees, but (rather) economic migrants who are working in South Africa for their families back home. In fact, calling them refugees is not a proper term as it is meant to portray a picture that there is turmoil in Zimbabwe, that there is a war in Zimbabwe. Refugees run away from their countries because of war and that is not the situation in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Ambassador Khaya-Moyo also accused Bishop Paul Verryn of the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg of actually inviting people to come to the church. “In fact, there have been media reports in South Africa that 20 percent of the people at that church are actually South Africans,” he said.

The Zimbabwean "refugees" are said to be part of 3 500 asylum seekers staying at the church and were facing deportation from South Africa. Among the "refugees", said Ambassador Khaya-Moyo, were some people from other countries who are all being labelled as Zimbabweans in a bid to tarnish his country’s image.

Ambassador Khaya-Moyo added that “some forces” were doing everything in their power in a bid to derail the new inclusive government, which was formed in February, following almost a year of political bickering between the main political parties in that country.

"There are people who have been against this inclusive government and are working hard in their regime-change agenda," he said.

Ambassador Moyo also challenged the international community to support the inclusive Zimbabwean government, saying it was the only option for that country to move forward.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Moyo said more people intending to return home continued to make inquiries on assistance from the Zimbabwean government.

“The numbers are encouraging and there is a genuine interest by Zimbabweans outside who want to come back and work for their country. We need to create a register of our people out there and at least categorise them by their professions, so that we know our people out there. There are so many professionals outside the country who can help our country in its economic recovery endeavours that, if they are ever to come back, some countries would certainly bleed,” he said.