Rise In Number Of Deported Zim Immigrants
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday July 6, 2020 16:27
The country deported 12,546 Zimbabwean immigrants in 2016.
According to a ministerial report titled ‘Irregular Migrants Deportations 2016 to 2019,’ of this number, 9,315 were males, while 2,715 were females and there were 516 minors.
In 2017, Botswana repatriated 21,791 Zimbabweans comprising 13,392 males, 6,802 females and 1,597 minors.
“Botswana deported 22,731 migrants from Zimbabwe in 2018. Of this number, there were 14,954 males, 6,714 females and 1,063 minors.
Last year, Botswana deported a total of 32,867 migrants from Zimbabwe. 21,000 of these deportees were males, 10,088 were females while 1,779 were minors,” Molefi Keaja, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said.
In April this year, Botswana deported 500 Zimbabweans who were stranded in the country following the enactment of protocols to control the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
With Zimbabwe still continuing to face economic, political and social problems, which were in part caused by the disputed general elections that were held in that country last year, the administration of current President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, will continue to bear the brunt of his northerly neighbour’s problems.