Theseus Mauruki Shambare THE Zimbabwe Red Cross Society has assisted more than 10 000 returnees from South Africa with emergency support following the recent anti-migrant violence, as the humanitarian…
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
THE Zimbabwe Red Cross Society has assisted more than 10 000 returnees from South Africa with emergency support following the recent anti-migrant violence, as the humanitarian organisation continues to respond to the migration crisis.
The assistance has included refreshments, transport support, phone calls, internet connectivity and phone charging at reception centres, with the organisation also preparing to distribute non-food items, dignity kits and blankets to vulnerable returnees.
Zimbabwe Red Cross Society Restoring Family Links National Officer Cassandra Ncube said the emergency response was being implemented through the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), which was activated on July 3.
“We have reached to over 10 000 returnee migrants through offering refreshment, last mile support for them, last mile bus fares for them to get to their homes, through phone calls, through internet connectivity, as well as phone charging at reception centres,” she said.
The intervention comes as Zimbabwe continues to experience significant migration flows, with the country serving not only as a source of migrants but also as a transit route for people travelling southwards and a destination for refugees and asylum seekers.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Head of the Country Cluster Delegation for Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi Mr Kopano Benjamin Masilo said the country’s complex migration position had created a growing need for humanitarian agencies to strengthen mechanisms for keeping families connected.
“Zimbabwe is a country that sends out migrants to other countries due to economic pressures and people looking for greener pastures. We are also a country of transit for migrants from different countries like the DRC, Malawi and Mozambique who are transiting mainly to South Africa,” he said.
Mr Masilo said Zimbabwe was also hosting refugees and asylum seekers, adding that the country’s humanitarian situation required interventions that protected families from separation and helped reconnect those who lose contact.
The Red Cross is also using its Restoring Family Links programme to provide tracing services for people separated from relatives through migration, disasters, violence and other humanitarian emergencies.
In 2025, the programme reached 21 634 beneficiaries through interventions at Tongogara Refugee Settlement, Beitbridge and rural communities.
It facilitated 18 300 calls and provided 65 705 internet sessions, allowing migrants and separated families to contact relatives.
The organisation also received 1 200 inquiries from people seeking assistance to trace missing relatives.
Ncube said the figures demonstrated the importance of maintaining communication channels for migrants and vulnerable families, particularly where conventional communication services are unavailable.
The Red Cross also had 355 tracing cases in its database at the end of 2025, with 78 new cases registered during the year.
Of these, 38 cases were positively closed after relatives were located.
The organisation also exchanged six Red Cross messages, a service used when conventional communication channels are unavailable.
Ncube said the organisation was increasingly relying on modern communication technologies, including mobile phones and internet connectivity, although traditional Red Cross messages remained an option of last resort.
The humanitarian organisation is also working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police to strengthen the tracing and identification of missing persons through its Transnational Approach to the Missing and Deceased programme.
The initiative is being implemented in Zaka, where police officers have been trained to collect ante-mortem information that can assist in identifying missing people, including those who may have died.
The programme involves the ZRP’s Interpol, Victim-Friendly Unit, Training and Forensics departments.
Zimbabwe Red Cross Society secretary-general Mr Elias Hwenga said the issue went beyond statistics because every missing-person case represented a family living with uncertainty.
“These are not just numbers, names or mere cases; they are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and their families deserve answers and dignity,” he said.
The Red Cross said its response would continue to focus on preventing family separation, restoring contact where separation occurs and helping families establish the fate of relatives who remain unaccounted for.
