The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says Zimbabwe is now the largest source of migrants in the region.
Speaking on behalf of IOM Chief of Mission Dyane Epstein, Migration Health Chief and Officer Thomas Kalasani revealed that more Zimbabweans have emigrated from their home country than from any other southern African nation.
Kalasani delivered this information on Wednesday during the official launch at the Old Memorial Hospital in Bulawayo.
He stated: “The current global projection is that there are approximately 281 million international migrants in the world, accounting for 3.6% of the global population.”
According to the World Report 2020, Zimbabwe leads as the largest source of migrants in southern Africa. Many Zimbabweans are migrating to other regions, including the Middle East, in search of economic opportunities.
The Zimbabwean government has been actively involved in ensuring the safe return of its citizens who have fallen victim to human trafficking in these regions.
Millions of Zimbabweans, both documented and undocumented, have left the country, with the majority residing in South Africa as economic refugees. Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe informed NewsDay that the government aims to simplify passport access for Zimbabweans living abroad. He said, “We have already started decentralisation of the passport offices, which will assist migrants in accessing national documentation easily. We have also initiated processes to ensure that applications for these vital documents can be done online to facilitate the ease of doing business both locally and for our citizens abroad.”
In line with these efforts, the government announced it will begin processing e-passports at its embassy in South Africa this week. Officials from the Registrar General’s department will be deployed to support consulate staff. Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Raphael Faranisi, confirmed that all preparations are in place to start issuing e-passports at the e-passport processing centre in Johannesburg this week.
