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Pandemic robs refugees of work in Zimbabwe

Published

4 years ago

August 25, 2021

BY LINDA MUJURU AND EVIDENCE CHENJERAYI

Tiny, densely populated houses dominate the Tongogara Refugee Camp in southeastern Zimbabwe. Some are built with bricks made of burnt mud, and others are makeshift homes constructed from tents, wooden poles and plastic.

On this hot day, many go about their business. It’s difficult for people to social distance in the crowded camp.

Only some refugees wear masks. There are hand-washing stations but no temperature checks.

Jackson Mazuru grinds away at his mill, and maize meal covers his face and body.

The bubbly 27-year-old father of two girls is from Burundi. He came to Zimbabwe in 2000 with nine siblings and his parents.

Before the coronavirus — and all the government restrictions that have accompanied it — Mazuru earned up to $50 a day. Today, he makes a fraction of that amount.

The coronavirus has affected millions in Zimbabwe, but perhaps none more starkly than refugees.

Even before the pandemic, they existed on the country’s margins, as Zimbabwe doesn’t give refugees permanent residence status.

The pandemic has robbed them of one of the pillars of their tenuous daily existence — the chance to earn an income.

“I usually buy my grinding mill spare parts in Harare, but with this situation, it’s impossible,” Mazuru says. “I also have customers from outside the camp, but they could not come due to the travel restrictions.”

Tongogara, located 420 kilometers southeast of Harare and host to about 14,967 people, opened in 1983 and is Zimbabwe’s only refugee camp.

Refugees come from countries all over sub-Saharan Africa and can spend more than a decade waiting to be resettled in other nations.

“Some even die waiting for this process to be completed,” says Timothee Mutahonga Djuma, a Congolese refugee who is also a pastor at the camp.

Life at the camp is hard. There is no electricity. Houses are overcrowded. Aid groups supply firewood, but it runs out quickly and arrives inconsistently.

Typically, the refugees receive monthly food aid from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that includes maize meal, sugar beans, a corn-soya blend, vegetable oil, sugar and salt — nearly 15 kilogrammes (33 pounds) in total. But some months, they don’t receive items such as sugar.

For large families, the supply of food barely lasts a month.

Totamirepi Tirivavi, Zimbabwe’s commissioner for refugees, agreed that the pandemic had negatively impacted efforts to resettle refugees, but did not answer follow-up queries.

The camp’s challenges make work all the more important. In a master’s thesis titled, “Socio-Economic Impact of Refugees on Host Communities.

The Case of Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe,” scholar Terence Madzimure says refugees rely on trade both with each other and with townspeople to acquire food beyond what they receive for free.

Refugees also have opened butcher shops, restaurants and groceries in the camp. Because of the pandemic, many of those small businesses struggle to stay open, Mazuru says.

The pandemic has even hurt refugees with well-established businesses. Celestin Bizimungu, who came from Rwanda 15 years ago, opened a butchery and now has 25 head of cattle and hundreds of goats. He sells beef and goat meat in his shop.

Coronavirus travel restrictions kept away people from outside the camp, and his customer base shriveled.

He used to draw as many as 15 customers a day, he says. Today, he’s lucky to get five.

Since the pandemic erupted in March 2020, Zimbabwe’s government has ordered two national lockdowns, including one from mid-January to the end of February.

But even after the government eased restrictions, business didn’t pick up because many people couldn’t work during the lockdown and had limited funds, Mazuru says.

Mazuru, who has spent most of his life in the camp, lives there with his wife, children, father and siblings.

To make extra money, he has added welding to his grinding mill work. He supports the coronavirus restrictions, even though they’ve hurt business, he says.

The pandemic further delayed the efforts of refugees who were hoping to start enterprises, including camp residents such as Stephane Mudika Tundu, who fled Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013 with some of his family.

He planned to open a hardware store but hasn’t earned enough to start the business.

Back in DRC, Tundu, 57, was a sales manager in a shop that sold furniture and electronics.

“But since I came to Zimbabwe, I cannot work” formally, he says.

Tundu, who says he fled persecution in DRC, now worries about education for his 19-year-old.

“Not being able to have tertiary education and be employed means my child and others in the camp are stuck,” he says. “What kind of future can they have without a job and qualification?” – Global Press Journal

National

Bulawayo mourns Nkulumane MP and poet Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo

Published

3 days ago

October 10, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The City of Bulawayo has expressed deep sorrow following the death of Nkulumane MP and acclaimed poet Desire “Moyoxide” Moyo, who died in a car accident early Friday morning near Shangani.

In a condolence message issued by Town Clerk Christopher Dube on behalf of the Mayor, Senator David Coltart, councillors, and residents, the city described Moyo as “an iconic leader, poet par excellence, and creative who strove to champion the arts in Bulawayo and beyond.”

Moyo, who was affectionately known as Moyoxide, was praised for his commitment to the city’s artistic and civic development. The statement highlighted his impact through his multiple roles — as a Member of Parliament for Ngulumane, a community leader, and a poet who spoke out against injustices while advocating for progress.

“He positively impacted the city through his roles as a leader and poet who challenged all for the development of Bulawayo and the country,” read part of the statement.

The City of Bulawayo also extended its condolences to the Moyo family, the Bulawayo community, and the nation at large.

“May his soul rest in eternal peace,” the statement added.

The city further wished a speedy recovery to other CCC legislators who were injured in the same accident — Honourables Madalaboy Ndebele, Senator Rittah Ndlovu, Sethulo Ndebele, and Libion Sibanda.

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National

CCC legislators in road accident, Nkulumane MP dies

Published

3 days ago

October 10, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

One Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislator has died while four others were seriously injured in a road accident that occurred early Friday morning near Shangani along Bulawayo-Harare highway.

CCC spokesperson Promise Mkhwananzi confirmed the accident, saying it happened between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. when the vehicle carrying the members collided with an elephant.

“The vehicle hit an elephant along the Shangani area, and unfortunately Honourable Desire Moyo, the Member of Parliament for Ngulumane, died on the scene,” Nkwananzi said.

He added that the other occupants — Honourable Madalaboy Ndebele, Senator Rittah Ndlovu, Honourable Sethulo Ndebele, and Libion Sibanda — sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Bulawayo.

Nkwananzi said he was deeply shocked by Moyo’s death, as he had met him just yesterday in Harare.

“I had seen Moyo yesterday and we spent about an hour chatting outside Jamieson Hotel about the party and our future plans for national development,” he said. “I’m gutted by his passing. It’s a huge loss for the party.”

He conveyed his condolences to the Moyo family and wished a speedy recovery and strength to the families of the other CCC members who remain in critical condition.

He said further details, including the name of the hospital where the injured are receiving treatment, would be released once confirmed.

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In the community

MPs raise alarm over illegal gold mining threatening Inyathi hospital

Published

4 days ago

October 9, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care has raised serious concern over illegal gold mining activities taking place directly beneath Inyathi District Hospital in Bubi District, Matabeleland North — warning that the facility’s infrastructure could collapse if the practice continues unchecked.

The revelation came during the committee’s ongoing verification visits to rural health centres across Zimbabwe, aimed at assessing the state of medical infrastructure, equipment, and essential drug availability. The visits, led by Hon. Daniel Molokele, are being conducted on behalf of the committee chairperson, Hon. Dr. Thokozani Khupe.

Speaking to VicFallsLive, Molokele said the team was shocked to discover that artisanal miners (amakorokoza) had extended their illegal mining tunnels under the hospital grounds.

“One of the things that we found at Inyathi District Hospital is that amakorokoza are now doing their gold mining right under the hospital,” said Molokele. “They used to do it outside, but now they have gone beneath the facility. There is a real risk that the infrastructure might collapse because of the underground pressure. This is lawlessness that the government urgently needs to address.”

Molokele added that the situation reflects broader governance and enforcement challenges in mining communities, where unregulated artisanal mining continues to threaten both public safety and environmental health.

“Most of the cases that patients come with are physical wounds — largely injuries from violent clashes among the amakorokoza,” he said. “There’s a lot of violence happening there, and it is putting a heavy burden on an already under-resourced hospital.”

The committee, which began its tour on Monday in Inyathi before proceeding to Avoca in Insiza District (Matabeleland South), Gundura in Masvingo, and Mutiusinazita in Buhera (Manicaland), is compiling findings that will inform parliamentary recommendations.

“We will produce a report that will have clear recommendations,” Molokele said. “The National Assembly will debate it, and the Minister of Health will use it to engage the Minister of Finance, especially in the upcoming budget process. We are hoping for a renewed focus on rural healthcare centres, which have been neglected and underfunded for many years.”

Molokele said the verification exercise — though limited by time and financial constraints — seeks to highlight conditions in at least one rural health facility per province.

The committee’s findings come at a time when Zimbabwe’s rural health infrastructure is under severe strain, with many facilities struggling with drug shortages, outdated equipment, and deteriorating buildings. The situation in Inyathi now adds a new dimension of danger — where illegal mining is not only threatening livelihoods but also public infrastructure meant to save lives.