ONE MILLION ZIMBAS RETURN HOME FOR GOOD

MORE than one million Zimbabweans who had left the country returned to settle home permanently during the first half of 2023.

This marks a significant surge in returnees, driven mainly by Government’s efforts to attract skilled locals back home.

Statistics from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) show that 1,03 million Zimbabweans “who had declared themselves as emigrants when they left the country” had returned home between January and June.

In total, about 378 000 locals relocated back to Zimbabwe during the first three months of the year, while the number of returnees surged to 655 377 between April and June.

ZimStat classifies returning expatriates as “returning former residents who had declared themselves as emigrants when leaving the country but, nevertheless, remained away for more than one year”.

“There were 331 982 visitors from abroad who came to Zimbabwe during the second quarter of 2023, compared to 231 107 in the second quarter of 2022, representing an increase of 43,6 percent,” said the ZimStat’s Quarterly International Migration Statistics report.

“There were 655 377 residents returning from abroad, compared to 250 147 in the second quarter of 2022.

“This indicates an increase of almost 162 percent.”

While ZimStat’s 2022 national census concluded that only 908 914 Zimbabweans were living abroad, South Africa’s national statistics agency, Statistics South Africa, estimated that there were about one million Zimbabweans living in the neighbouring country last year.

The new ZimStat immigration figures, however, account for Zimbabwean expatriates who did not move to foreign countries on a permanent basis.

The agency’s first-quarter international migration report also indicates that the country recorded 603 412 arrivals during the January-March period this year, and 63,4 percent (about 378 000) were returning residents, while 36,6 percent were visitors from abroad.

Zimbabwe’s economy has been growing steadily in recent years, creating new job and investment opportunities for skilled workers, making relocating home more attractive for Zimbabweans living abroad.

Government has also embarked on a drive to attract skilled Zimbabweans back into the country, including providing tax breaks, subsidies and support for setting up businesses. Sunday Mail

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