Zimbabwe Tops Southern Africa’s List Of Migrant Origins
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has said Zimbabwe is the largest source of migrants residing in southern Africa.
In a speech delivered on behalf of IOM Chief of Mission Dyane Epstein, Migration Health Chief and Officer Thomas Kalasani said that more Zimbabweans have emigrated from their home country compared to other countries in southern Africa. The speech was delivered during the official launch at the Old Memorial Hospital in Bulawayo on Wednesday. Said Kalasani (via NewsDay):
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 is the largest source of migrants residing in southern Africa.
Furthermore, in search of economic gains, Zimbabweans are migrating to other regions like the Middle East, where the Zimbabwean government has intervened to ensure that its people can return home after falling victim to human trafficking.
Millions of Zimbabweans, both documented and undocumented, have left the country with arguably the majority living in South Africa as economic refugees.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe told NewsDay that the Government wanted Zimbabweans living outside the country to access passports with ease. He said:
We have already started decentralisation of the passport offices which will assist migrants to access national documentation easily.
We have also started the 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.
The Government said it will start processing e-passports at its embassy in South Africa this week, with officials from the Registrar General’s department being deployed to assist consulate staff.
Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Raphael Faranisi, said all was in place to start the issue of e-passports at the e-passport processing centre in Johannesburg this week.
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