The Civic Engagement Forum of Zimbabwe has called on the Zimbabwean government to help repatriate its citizens from South Africa, citing a worsening humanitarian situation linked to tensions over undocumented immigration, reports said on Tuesday.
According to The South African, the organisation claims that about 146 Zimbabwean nationals have been displaced in Daggafontein, Springs, on Gauteng’s East Rand, following community unrest and alleged attacks on foreign nationals.
It says some residents have reportedly been instructed to leave the area by 15 June, while others have faced harassment and been forced from their homes.
Forum representative Ambassador General Sithole told SABC News that the displacement followed a police operation targeting illegal mining.
He alleged that after the raid, some landlords evicted tenants and community members began forcing foreign nationals out of their homes, leaving some people living in nearby bush areas.
The group is now appealing to the Zimbabwean government to support voluntary repatriation efforts. Sithole said the organisation is trying to engage the government to assist with the ‘self-repatriation‘ of affected citizens.
The concerns come amid reports of escalating anti-foreigner sentiment in several parts of South Africa. In Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, public order police have been deployed following deadly unrest linked to tensions over foreign nationals.
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Picture: Copilot / African Insider
Words: Betha Madhomu / African Insider
