WATCH | Over 2,000 Zimbabweans pack Cape Town refugee centre ahead of 30 June deadline

WATCH | Over 2,000 Zimbabweans pack Cape Town refugee centre ahead of 30 June deadline

Cape Town – More than 2,000 Zimbabwean nationals are being housed at the Cape Town Refugee Reception Centre in Epping, despite the facility being designed to accommodate only 300 people, as fears surrounding the 30 June deadline set by anti-immigration groups continue to grow.

According to IOL, the Department of Home Affairs building in Epping has been converted into a processing centre for migrants who have chosen to return to their home countries, with the majority of those seeking assistance being Zimbabwean nationals.

Watch below (courtesy of Times Live)

The City of Cape Town relocated the group to the facility on Sunday after they had spent several days camped outside the Zimbabwean Consulate in District Six.

Some had slept on the pavement for as many as five nights before being moved, despite heavy rain that swept through the city over the weekend, the report said.

On Monday morning, many of those waiting to be processed said they had still not received food.

Outside the reception centre, groups of young men gathered around makeshift fires to keep warm as temperatures dropped. Their belongings, including backpacks, suitcases, blankets and bags wrapped in plastic, lined the pavements and walls surrounding the building.

According to GroundUp, hundreds of Zimbabweans fled rural towns across the Western Cape before making their way to the Zimbabwean Consulate in Cape Town, where they spent several nights sleeping outdoors. As a cold front moved into the province on Sunday, they were relocated in the rain to the repatriation centre in Epping.

@groundup_news Hundreds of people waiting outside the Zimbabwean Consulate in Cape Town faced a cold night on Saturday. While transport has been arranged for some, hundreds of others, including women and children, may have to sleep outside as a cold front approaches. Cold and heavy rain are expected in Cape Town on Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, suitcases and bags were being wrapped in cling film to protect them from the rain. Read the full article on groundup.org.za #LinkInBio 📰 Matthew Hirsch 📸 Ashraf Hendricks #NewsThatMatters #SouthAfricanNews #Zimbabweans #Xenophobia ♬ original sound – GroundUp News

The publication also reported that many of those leaving had been renting rooms or informal dwellings from South African landlords, who now face losing rental income as tenants depart.

The growing number of migrants seeking repatriation comes amid heightened tensions over immigration in South Africa. In recent weeks, anti-immigration movements, including the March and March campaign, have called on undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country by 30 June.

The movement has gained support from some South Africans who argue that illegal immigration places additional pressure on already strained public services, including healthcare, housing, education and policing. Others claim undocumented migrants contribute to increased competition for jobs in a country with persistently high unemployment and have called on the government to strengthen border security and enforce immigration laws more effectively.

However, rights organisations have warned that legitimate concerns about illegal immigration should not be used to justify violence, intimidation or collective punishment of foreign nationals.

Picture: screengrab

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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi

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