Zimbabweans fleeing South Africa due to xenophobic threats are now stranded and squatting along the main Beitbridge highways to Harare and Bulawayo, as they fled without any money.

For several weeks there have been mounting fears among South Africa's community of immigrants, after rumours started circulating that there would be xenophobic violence targeting all foreign nationals in South Africa after the football World Cup comes to an end.

Already this week, there have been reports in the South African media about different incidents of violence against foreigners. More than 120 immigrants on Monday were staying at five police stations in the Western Cape after fleeing their homes over the weekend, which saw sporadic attacks on foreign-owned shops

Last week, SW Radio Africa correspondent Simon Muchemwa reported that Zimbabweans, who had fled their homes for South Africa, were streaming back into the country. He reported again on Monday that families can now be seen sleeping on the road side for days, waiting for "well-wishers" to give them transport to where ever they intend to travel.

"Some families have begun selling their only possession to pay for food and transport," Muchemwa said.

"We hiked all the way from Cape Town and have run out of cash, we are now asking individuals with cars to ferry us to where they can take us in exchange of house hold items," said a traveller in Masvingo.

In Harare Muchemwa also reported how families affected by Operation Murambatsvina have nowhere to accommodate their relatives returning from South Africa. He detailed how families were piling their belongings in the open, covered with tarpaulin, to accommodate the number of people in the homes.

Human rights groups have attributed the alleged threats of violence in South Africa to fears that the job market will dry up now that the football tournament has come to an end. There was a significant boost in jobs over the past few years, particularly in the construction sector, as the country prepared to host the event. But with the job market once again contracting, the same anger that fuelled xenophobic violence in 2008 is beginning to resurface.

The 2008 attacks, which swept across the country in a manner of days, saw angry locals blaming foreigners for 'stealing' their jobs. More than 60 people were murdered and thousands of foreigners fled their homes, living in refugee camps for several weeks. The same xenophobic tensions have continued to simmer over the past two years, with isolated attacks flaring up every so often.