Latest news with #Zimbabweans
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
Cries of a nation overwhelmed
South Africans are bearing the brunt of undocumented migration, overwhelmed services, and a government slow to respond. Poet Robert Frost in Mending Walls said that good fences make good neighbours. South Africa keeps finding itself in situations where it has to keep defending its borders. Today, its citizens are at a point where they must justify the desire for South Africa's provisions to be adequate without leaving its people scrambling, while also providing for its undocumented neighbours. We are living with ghosts who work and have access to state provisions, but we don't even really know who they are. This is the case raised by movements such as March and March and Operation Dudula. While many of us may differ with them on how to restore a semblance of order, many may agree that their cause is long overdue. ALSO READ: Foreign national arrested for mass Umlazi murder When Tom London went on social media to lament the state of Helen Joseph Hospital, many rallied in support of his move to a private hospital. Funds were raised, and he was moved to Morningside Hospital for private care. London complained that doctors treated patients as cockroaches. We agreed that some reform was needed. The celebration of staff at state facilities as seen across social media platforms, of the work and initiatives by Operation Dudula and March and March reiterates, staff did in fact feel overwhelmed. The nurses are accused of taking long breaks but they've worked as slaves throughout the day. This is because they are stretched – they are servicing far greater numbers. While we may be angry, the people on the front lines are stretched. They are the voices that also lend a whisper of their exhaustion to movements that say, abahambe (let them go). This is no phenomenon, this is the voice of the real people. ALSO READ: 22 arrested after illegal workers and weapons found in Roodepoort factory raid The people of Lesotho are notorious for illegal mining, our neighbours from Mozambique are synonymous with vehicle theft. The Zimbabweans are considered as petty thieves and Nigerians are known as traffickers of drugs and humans. This in no way vindicates South Africans as perpetrators of crime, but we have moved from a national to an international crisis because we are unable to attribute these crimes to known people. How, when most are undocumented? Swaziland has now taken five US convicts in, with 150 more expected. The spill over, South Africa. Do our neighbours and their leaders really respect South Africa? The people are clearly tired and have become the voice the government lacks. Now, the question remains: would good fences not have made good neighbours? NOW READ: 'We are not xenophobic': No justification to favour foreign academics over South Africans, says ANC MP
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Here are the nationalities that recently visited South Africa the most
More than one million foreign visitors entered South Africa in just one month, and the country has so far seen more 3.7 million travellers from SADC nations. South Africa is welcoming millions of visitors from across the world every month. A recent report by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) detailed the number of local and foreign travellers who recently crossed through the nation's ports of entry. The report detailed the visitors' countries of origin and gender split, as well as the purpose of their visit. More than 1 million inbound South Africa's ports of entry recorded 2.7 million inbound and outbound travellers for the month of June. The figure includes arrivals, departures and travellers in transit. This was an 11.5% increase from last June, but a 5% decrease from the previous month. Stats SA stated that 1.04 million foreign nationals arrived in the country as opposed to 882 000 departing, with the remainder being South African travellers. The United States sent the most tourists with just over 41 200, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia with 16 994 and 10 196, respectively. However, overseas tourism contributed significantly less than visitors from other African countries. Stats SA stated that 79% of all incoming visitors were from countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the overwhelming majority declared the same intention when entering. 'Holiday continues to be the main purpose of visits. About 97.1% of all the tourists were in South Africa for holiday purposes,' stated Stats SA. Neighbours regular visitors Last year, South Africa welcomed 6.6 million visitors from SADC nations and has so far seen 3.7 million fellow southern Africans cross into the country in the first two quarters of 2025. The figure of over one million foreign national visitors in June was a 19.7% increase from last time this year. Zimbabweans and Mozambicans were the most common, with over 160 000 inbound each, with Lesotho also breaching six figures. Only 2% of visitors came from further into the continent, with roughly 7 000 coming from Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria combined. Male visitors were more common with 59.3%, as opposed to 40.7% female. Industry insights Southern Africa Tourism Service Association CEO David Frost said that the country's natural attractions provided a solid foundation from which to build, but required the industry to continually adapt. 'We cannot afford to be complacent. To stay globally competitive, we must continue to diversify and meet evolving traveller expectations,' said Frost. National Chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, Rosemary Anderson, agreed with Frost's sentiments on evolving the industry. 'For the first time, ideas are not only being developed jointly, but action plans are being put in place. This shift has the potential to be a game-changer for tourism in South Africa,' Anderson concluded. NOW READ: Tourism surge: R4.2 billion spent on SA hotels in second quarter of 2025
Mail & Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Don't eat alone — we also want to, whistleblowers allegedly told Polokwane municipal manager
Polokwane mayor John Mpe. (Polokwane Municipality) Polokwane mayor The 'fake' whistleblowers had contacted municipal manager Mail & Guardian . The mayor spoke after leaked documents surfaced on social media last week purporting to show that the Mpe alleged that one so-called whistleblower had called the city manager, saying: 'We are aware that it is your time to eat, we are just saying also allow us to eat.' 'Is that the language of a whistleblower and somebody who wants to fight corruption? If there's somebody who must benefit from our projects, it's our community,' Mpe said. 'You can see that this person might be even from the inside [the municipality]. This has made us realise that we are stopping the rot, hence they have been looking at what they can get from this person [Nemugumoni]. We need to fight corruption — not on the basis of who is benefiting.' Mpe said some former contractors with the municipality were angry that work previously done by them was now being insourced and were trying to create the impression of widespread corruption in the municipality as payback. He cited the example of the City of Polokwane taking over the maintenance of the Peter Mokaba Stadium, work which had been done by private contractors. The city had also cancelled contracts for fleet cards — credit cards used to manage expenses for municipal vehicles. 'Now it is our workers that are cleaning the stadium and the stadium is in good condition. We show tangible things that we have stopped. There were Polokwane fleet cards which were being managed by private contractors. The question is why would the municipality hire somebody to organise fleet cards for its own cars? Why can't they go to their banker?' 'The cards were from [one] bank while the municipality was banking with another bank. The municipality was paying that service provider R1.5 million monthly and we got rid of it. People were upset when we started saving R3.5 million from the fleet tender arrangements that were not proper.' In a letter dated 23 July and seen by the M&G , Limpopo MEC for the department of cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs Basikopo Makamu asked Mpe to provide a report within seven working days on the allegations which had surfaced on social media. The letter indicated that the Democratic Alliance had approached Makamu's office on the matter. A source told the M&G that a company owned by Nemugumoni's boyfriend had been paid over R56 million and that at least seven other companies owned by Zimbabweans were given preference over South African firms. Without naming the Zimbabwean-owned companies, the source said they were awarded contracts for construction, road works, bulk water services and consulting. Spreadsheets allegedly showing payments in relation to these companies have been making the rounds on social media. Mpe said, as mayor, he does not know who gets paid when, as that is an administrative process. He also questioned the credibility of the information, saying one spreadsheet showed payment for services rendered in 2026 while another was handwritten. 'We are in 2025 now,' he pointed out. 'This just shows it's not credible information. Why must we start an investigation on information that is not credible? Where there is credible information, we will have to investigate.' He said the company allegedly linked to Nemugumoni's boyfriend had been working in Polokwane, and various other municipalities, and it would be unfair to expect him as mayor to know who its owner was dating. Those alleging that the company was owned by Nemugumoni's boyfriend should provide proof, he added. 'We have over 2 000 employees and we have probably 100 of them in senior positions. How will I know who is having a boyfriend? How will I manage that part? If they have got [tangible] information about such a relationship, which would be a conflict of interest between the accounting officer and that particular person, they need to bring that information to us,' he said. 'Going into the personal life of somebody means I must [summon] the city manager and say, 'Who is your new boyfriend and what is happening in your life?' from time to time.' He also disputed the allegation that the municipality has preferred Zimbabwean-owned companies over South African ones. 'They have mentioned eight companies out of more than 150 companies that are doing business with the municipality. If people have got permanent residency and IDs in South Africa, can you stop them from doing business in South Africa on the basis that they were born somewhere in Malawi? You can't do that.' The source who spoke to the M&G said Mpe was facing another corruption matter with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the This, according to the source, was in order to check that companies doing business with the municipality, including that of Nemugumoni's boyfriend, were not giving kickbacks to Mpe via the foundation. However, in an affidavit dated 24 July 2025, which the M&G has seen, the Hawks in Limpopo withdrew an urgent application meant to be heard at the 'Based on the new information on the issue of the municipal manager, the Hawks had to withdraw the case so they could amend their charge sheet. The foundation got a sum of R8 million and they can't account for where it came from,' the source said. On Monday, ActionSA chairperson in Limpopo Victor Mothemela opened a corruption case against Mpe and the municipal manager, citing allegations that also surfaced on social media that R750 million was irregularly paid to companies whose owners have close ties to both of them. Build One South Africa Limpopo provincial leader Ngako Setji has also approached the Special Investigating Unit for forensic probes into the allegations. On Monday, Hawks spokesperson 'We will have a meeting today with all the relevant people to find out where this thing is coming from and what is happening,' Mbambo said. She added that the Hawks had never brought an application to court and would meet with the people said to have deposed the affidavit. 'We just saw that we have agreed to pay the R1.2 million in legal fees for withdrawing the case, so that is why we are saying we have to meet up with everybody relevant to say who authorised the things that are being said,' Mbambo said. Mpe said the issue had been drummed up by his detractors within his 'This is orchestrated from within the organisation. There are people who are within the ANC [but] are no longer with the ANC by their conduct and their actions, you can see.' Mpe acknowledged the need to fix governance in the municipality, which he said had a culture of impunity for wrongdoers. 'If we had bad intentions, why would we appoint people who have credible qualifications to fix some of our challenges, to fix the internal control deficiencies that we have?' he said. 'So, they then say, 'What can we get from him [Mpe] so that he stops these administrative reforms?' If we were not doing our work in Polokwane, how did we improve the audit outcome in the 2022-23 financial year and maintain those improvements over the past three years?'
IOL News
3 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
'Even white Zimbabweans are returning': Zanu-PF insists exiles are flocking back home
African National Congress (ANC) Youth League president Collen Malatji shared pictures with President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa during a recent visit to Harare. Image: Thlologelo Collen Malatji/X Many Zimbabweans who left the country at the peak of economic and political turmoil, and settled in numerous countries, including South Africa, are now investing back home, while others are returning to their ancestral nation. These were the views expressed by Zanu PF national spokesperson, Christopher Mutsvangwa, who was recently in South Africa for the 2025 Liberation Movements Summit hosted by the African National Congress (ANC) in Kempton Park. The summit concluded on Monday and was hosted under the theme: 'Defending the liberation gains, advancing integrated socio-economic development, strengthening solidarity for a better Africa.' Southern African liberation movements, including the ANC, People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Namibia's ruling party, the South West Africa People's Organisation (Swapo); Mozambique's Frente de Libertação de Moçambique (Frelimo); Zanu-PF, and Tanzania's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) were represented at high level at the summit in Gauteng. Mutsvangwa, in an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, was asked for his views on the prevailing political and economic situation in Zimbabwe, which has resulted in the extensive migration of Zimbabweans into South Africa, estimated in the millions, sparking tensions in South African communities. In his response, Mutsvangwa said Zimbabweans in South Africa are seeking greener pastures, but the situation back home has significantly improved. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'It is the search for better pastures, that is natural. South Africa had the advantage of having comparative access to capital as a white apartheid state. In colonial times, capital into Africa followed white, and South Africa has the biggest white population on the African continent. All those Western countries gave South Africa a certain edge in access to capital. 'We in Zimbabwe/Rhodesia were second in terms of our white population. We also had comparatively better access to capital than any other African country, and we had migration of labour from Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia into Zimbabwe. The former Zimbabwean ambassador to the People's Republic of China said people follow where they see an advantage in terms of development and capital. National spokesperson of Zimbabwe's ruling party, Zanu PF, Christopher Mutsvangwa (left) with Zanu PF director of information Farai Marupira addressing journalists in Harare. Image: File 'Now things have changed. We are now having capital in a flat global world where China can supply capital, India can supply capital, Riyadh can supply capital, so we now have an Africa that is going to global markets, getting capital. That discrepancy in access to capital, which was the case for the colonial era, is beginning to disappear. 'You cannot believe it, there is now a seamless environment between life in Zimbabwe and life abroad. That is why our diaspora is coming back to Zimbabwe, putting a lot of money … our diaspora feels at home, they are now beginning to invest at home. For your information, the biggest diaspora migration is white.' He said the white Zimbabweans who had fled the country at the onset of majority rule in 1980 make up a good number of the people moving back into the landlocked Southern African nation ruled by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. 'So the return of the white diaspora back to Zimbabwe is actually an indication that things are getting better in Zimbabwe. Remember we are operating the hardest currency in the world, the US dollar, and if you can make your economy succeed on the back of the US dollar, it means you are doing very well as a country,' said the War Veterans Association chairperson. Speaking to IOL, Dr Alexander Rusero, head of the department of international relations and diplomacy at the Africa University situated in Mutare, Zimbabwe, said the landlocked country seemingly has its worst times behind it - economically and politically. 'I think in all fairness, Zimbabwe has had its bad tide and we are definitely past that in as much as the mess we were once in as a country is concerned. That explains why you hear an opposition voice. We are as good as not having an opposition in Zimbabwe, and if you want to look at Zimbabwe's dynamics currently, just look at the balance of forces within Zanu-PF. 'With regards to the economy, like any post-colonial African state, we still have challenges with regards to unemployment. The Zimbabwe situation at the moment there is hardly anything to write home about, especially with regards to difficulties. If we are to put that on scale - where are versus where we are coming from, I think we are performing fairly well, in as far as the Zimbabwean standard is concerned. On the political front, Rusero said the country has seen stability after the exit of former president Robert Mugabe. 'We are actually in the most stable political climate post Mugabe, save to say it is unhealthy for a polity not to have a viable and vibrant opposition., as is currently the case. We do not have an opposition, and what happens is that protagonists in Zanu-PF will start quarrelling against each other because there is no external force which would make them unite and fight against an external threat.' He said temperatures within Zimbabwe have normalised, which has paved the way for the country to slip from the regional and international agendas where it was perennially perched due to political violence and intolerance. With regards to the millions of Zimbabweans based outside the country's borders, Rusero said there is no guarantee that they will return home, as some have permanently settled in the countries they moved to. 'We are living in an era of epic human movement. It is not always the case that people migrate so that, at some point, they have to come back. We wouldn't have had whites migrating from Europe to Africa. The whole idea is that you have to be where opportunities are thriving. The world, the global economy, is shrunk at the moment, and as much as people might have nostalgia for coming home, home is where the heart is. 'Zimbabwe is pretty much very stable, but also still has challenges with regard to opportunities, an environment that is hassle-free. In Zimbabwe, you have to hustle, but if it is between life and death, between stability and instability, you would rather be home and be stable, safe, as opposed to being away,' Rusero told IOL. 'The Zimbabwe of 2008 it is a gone Zimbabwe. The country is relatively calm, relatively free, and I think we are experiencing a modicum of some economic and political stability, which has become unusual insofar as Zimbabwe's polity is concerned. IOL News
The South African
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
Organisers fined after faeces found at Zimfest UK festival
British authorities have fined the organisers of Zimfest UK £3 000 (R71 906) after council workers discovered at least 15 heaps of human faeces and other waste around the Hertfordshire Showground and nearby roads following the event. The festival, held over the weekend, attracted more than 30 000 attendees. Many of them were Zimbabweans living in the UK, including recent migrants on skilled worker visas. The event is a flagship celebration of Zimbabwean music, food, and culture in the diaspora calendar. Council workers and residents reportedly discovered piles of human excrement, used condoms, and overflowing bins in and around the festival site. The unsanitary conditions drew swift condemnation from members of the community. Authorities imposed the fine as part of broader scrutiny over how the organisers managed the event. Critics have flagged the organisers' failure to provide enough toilets and manage waste properly as key issues, especially as festival attendance grows each year. The increase in visitors, driven in part by the expanding Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK, placed additional pressure on the event's logistics, especially sanitation services. While Zimfest UK remains a popular cultural gathering, this year's sanitation failures have raised concerns about future event planning. According to Zimeye , several attendees have urged organisers to better coordinate with authorities, add more portable toilets, and improve waste disposal. Despite the backlash, many still look forward to future editions of the festival. However, organisers must fix the logistical issues that marred this year's event. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
