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Southern Africa Wrestles With Migration

Migration from Zimbabwe to South Africa, and between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, offers a unique look at the repercussions of borders that are too porous, the consequences of shutting them entirely and the uncertainty of living in between, reports Global Press Journal in a series of articles on the issue.

Of the millions of Zimbabweans who have left for South Africa and other neighboring countries since 2000, an unknown number have vanished: buried as unidentified bodies or silenced by illness, injury, detention, trafficking, economic insecurity or communication challenges, reports Linda Mujuru from Harare.

Between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the traffic is two-way: many people travel to Mozambique to buy cheaper basic commodities, such as rice, fuel and cooking oil. Those from Mozambique cross over to buy commodities sold at cheaper prices in Zimbabwe or to seek services in hospitals and schools.

In South Africa, a tightening-up of immigration policies threatens to return Zimbabweans living in the country on an exemption permit to a country that's grappling with the same issues that pushed them out in the first place, reports Gamuchirai Masiyiwa.

Global Press Journal is a service that publishes news and features written by local women journalists in 13 countries around the world.

Matt Haney, GPJ

Of the millions of Zimbabweans who have left for South Africa and other neighboring countries since 2000, an unknown number have vanished.

Matt Haney, GPJ

Despite official border points for regulated crossings, illegal movement back and forth across the porous border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique is common.

Matt Haney, GPJ

The Zimbabwean Exemption Permit was part of a series of regularizations implemented by South Africa to reduce pressure on the country’s asylum system.

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