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Herald Reporters

A GROUP of 254 Zimbabweans based in South Africa arrived yesterday through Beitbridge Border Post aboard four buses while 117 were received in Plumtree.

The returnees from South Africa were mostly from Cape Town and Gauteng province and are among the 328 people who the Zimbabwe Embassy has helped by arranging buses and the necessary permission from the South African authorities for them to travel to the border where the Government has made arrangements to get them to quarantine centres in their home provinces.

Another 185 are expected to arrive this morning.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said last night that, “Government is concerned about all its citizens residing inside the country and those outside. In this regard, we continue to receive returning residents from all corners of the world”.

She confirmed the returnees would be quarantined in their home provinces.

Minister Mutsvangwa thanked the countries that were cooperating with the Government in the repatriation process and corporates that were making donations towards the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Zimbabwe’s Consul-General to South Africa, Mrs Melody Chaurura said the returnees were being cleared in batches.

“We are still getting the numbers for clearance from the bus operators and so far we have cleared 51 who travelled in Chiwa buses from Cape Town.

“Another 92 people left Gauteng province in DNC buses and will be arriving via Beitbridge Border Post later on Thursday and we cleared another 185 who will leave for Zimbabwe in Eagle liner buses,” said Mrs Chaurura.

The Consul-General said the Government was also working on an assisted repatriation programme which will be rolled out soon.

At the moment, those coming home are funding their transportation to Beitbridge, with the Government providing logistical services, in particular negotiating with bus companies and arranging travel permissions during the South African lockdown.

Mrs Chaurura said they were awaiting clearance from the host government for several others to be transported in Delta buses.

The returnees are screened upon arrival at the border before being transported to quarantine centres across the country.

Last night, three Zupco buses had arrived at the border to transport the returnees under police escort to the quarantine centres in their home provinces.

Authorities were still screening them pending transportation to quarantine centres nearest to their final destinations in the country.

Secretary for Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare, Mr Simon Masanga said more buses had since been despatched to Beitbridge.

“The provincial taskforce teams are busy with the logistics and we are confident the process will be without any challenges.

“Additionally, we have procured enough food for those in all the quarantine centres and the returnees,” he said.

“At the moment we cannot tell how many people are going where, but we can only know after the screening has been done,” said Mr Masanga.

Upon arrival at Beitbridge, the returnees are being screened by the police, the Department of Immigration and tested by the Ministry of Health and Child Care officials in partnership with non-governmental organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) before being registered and fed by the Department of Social Welfare pending transportation to the various quarantine centres.

Matabeleland South provincial medical director, Dr Rudo Chikodzore said they were sending more Covid-19 test kits to Beitbridge to cater for an anticipated increase of those returning from South Africa.

“So far we have no shortage of Covid-19 test kits. Basically, we are sending more to areas that have an urgent need or more workload,” she said.