Zimbabweans who voluntarily departed South Africa following anti-immigrant demonstrations could face up to a five-year ban from re-entering South Africa.
As tensions grew ahead of Yesterday’s anti-immigrant rallies, hundreds of Zimbabwean nationals gathered outside the Department of Home Affairs office in Epping, Cape Town, and demanded to voluntarily go back to Zimbabwe via the Beitbridge border crossing.
The urgency was driven by concerns that the nationwide protests could spark attacks on foreign nationals, despite repeated assurances from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia that law enforcement would ensure peaceful demonstrations while taking strong action against any acts of violence, intimidation, or xenophobia.
Authorities reported that three buses left Cape Town on Sunday, transporting a total of 231 passengers to Limpopo, where they would complete the necessary paper works before entering Zimbabwe at the Beitbridge border.
Among those making the journey were people who expressed shock and disappointment at the ramifications of the South African demonstration, as seen in Bulawayo.
