Zimbabwe registers 15 000 skilled returnees from SA

by Staff reporter

Government has established a database of 15,000 skilled Zimbabweans who have returned home in recent weeks, mainly from South Africa, as authorities move to harness their expertise while expanding plans for safe labour migration under the Global Skills Partnership Programme.

The initiative comes amid an increase in the number of Zimbabweans returning from South Africa following anti-immigrant unrest that has unsettled migrant communities and prompted many to reconsider their future in the neighbouring country.

Speaking during an inter-ministerial workshop in Masvingo on Thursday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, Ambassador Rudo Chitiga, said the recent developments in South Africa had accelerated the implementation of the Government's labour migration strategy.

"Recent events in South Africa have had an effect on our programme. I was in Beitbridge yesterday where I met some of our people who were returning home and all they needed was safe migration," she said.

Ambassador Chitiga said Government had so far registered 15,000 skilled returnees whose expertise could contribute to Zimbabwe's economic development.

"We have so far created a databank with 15,000 registered skilled returnees and some of them have skills that are required in our industries locally, such as artisans, welders, bricklayers and technicians, and these will be absorbed because there is space for them locally," she said.

The database also includes workers with specialised experience in agriculture, including grape harvesting, as well as construction professionals who worked on major infrastructure projects in South Africa, including stadiums built ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Government believes the returning workforce could play a key role in delivering targets under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), the country's blueprint for attaining upper-middle-income status by 2030.

For those who cannot immediately find employment in Zimbabwe, authorities intend to facilitate opportunities abroad through the Global Skills Partnership Programme, which was approved by Cabinet last year.
Under the programme, Government aims to coordinate the legal and safe migration of skilled Zimbabweans to countries experiencing labour shortages while ensuring workers receive adequate legal protection.

"South Africa already has a skills gap and under this programme we will facilitate safe migration to South Africa for a specific group of people who possess skills that are required there," Ambassador Chitiga said.

"We are negotiating with South Africa for safe migration of our skilled people who fall into specific categories."

She added that some Zimbabweans returning through the Beitbridge Border Post had questioned why the programme had not been introduced earlier, saying it would have provided a safer and more structured route for overseas employment.

The Global Skills Partnership Programme is being implemented through a Whole-of-Government approach involving five ministries: Skills Audit and Development; Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Foreign Affairs and International Trade; and Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.

Each ministry has a defined responsibility in the programme.

The Ministry of Skills Audit and Development is tasked with identifying and profiling available skills, while the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage conducts security and background checks on prospective migrants.

The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education verifies academic and professional qualifications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade negotiates bilateral labour agreements with destination countries, and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare ensures that labour laws in host countries adequately protect Zimbabwean workers.

Zimbabwe has in recent years expanded labour export arrangements with several countries. Hundreds of teachers have been deployed to Rwanda under a bilateral agreement, while healthcare professionals continue to secure employment opportunities across the region and beyond.

Government says the new programme seeks to transform labour migration into a structured process that benefits both migrants and the national economy while protecting Zimbabwean workers from exploitation abroad.


Source - The Herald