Zimbabwe’s ongoing economic crisis under the ZANU PF-led government has driven citizens to seek better prospects in neighbouring countries and beyond, with South Africa hosting the largest proportion of these migrants.

In an interview with SABC reporter Clement Manyathela on the programme “Face The Nation”, Hamadziripi asserted that the movement of Zimbabweans to South Africa is not a new trend.

When asked about the Zimbabwean government’s responsibility regarding the influx of citizens seeking jobs, healthcare, and improved living conditions in South Africa and other countries, Hamadziripi responded:

Migration from Zimbabwe to South Africa is not a recent phenomenon. It is historical and we can go way back many years and we can see that there has been migration from Zimbabwe into South Africa.

Zimbabwe is not the only country with nationals who come to South Africa. The reasons why they come to South Africa are varied because migration intrinsically is an individual decision.

We know even those countries considered the best countries to live in, you have people migrating from those countries.

When asked what the Zimbabwean government was doing to improve the situation and prevent citizens from leaving the country in large numbers, Hamadziripi responded:

I can tell you that the government of Zimbabwe is taking all measures it can to improve the economic situation in Zimbabwe.

In August 2022, the then Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba (pictured above) made controversial comments about Zimbabwean migrants, saying they were straining the provincial healthcare system.

In a widely circulated video, she told a Zimbabwean patient at a Bela Bela hospital that South Africa was not running a charity and that migrants were not budgeted for in the healthcare system.

Ramathuba said the healthcare system was meant for the people of Limpopo and that foreign nationals were not part of the budget.

Her comments sparked backlash, with the Zimbabwean embassy expressing shock and disbelief, and calling for diplomatic engagement to address the issue.

Recent reports suggest that some Zimbabwean women are crossing into South Africa illegally to give birth, to register their children as South African citizens to access social grants.

This has led to increased border patrols by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to curb illegal immigration.