Zimbabwe Hosts Africa’s Second-Largest South African Community, Says Charamba
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba has pushed back against the perception that Zimbabweans are the only Africans who migrate in search of opportunities abroad, saying Zimbabwe itself has long been home to people from across the continent.
In a statement shared on social media, Charamba said Zimbabwe hosts thousands of Africans from West, Central, East and Southern Africa, including South Africans, while also accommodating refugees through designated refugee centres.
“MYTH VERSUS FACT: Zimbabwe is host to many Africans from different countries, including South Africans. We have fellow Africans from West, Central, East and Southern Africa. We have refugee centres here,” Charamba said.
He argued that Zimbabwe’s hospitality has never become a major talking point because of the country’s Pan-African outlook.
“That this has never been a talking point is because we are welcoming, in the Pan-African spirit. This false impression that only Zimbabweans go to other countries needs to be debunked!! It’s simply false,” he said.
Charamba further made the claim that Zimbabwe hosts one of the continent’s largest South African communities outside South Africa.
“On the African continent, Zimbabwe houses the second largest group of South Africans living outside their country,” he said.
His remarks come amid growing regional conversations around migration and xenophobia, with Charamba maintaining that the movement of people across African borders is a shared reality that should not be used to single out Zimbabweans.