Ngesikhathi kunanzwa ilanga leziphepheli, emhlabeni jikelele ele World Refugee Day, ezinye iziphepheli zeZimbabwe eziseBotswana ziyakhonona kakubi ngesimo esilukhuni enkambeni yeDukwi, zisithi zibulawa yindlala kanye lomqando. Lokhu kuza ngesikhathi ezinye iziphepheli seziqale ukuphindela ekhaya, ngemva kokutshelwa ukuthi kumele zibe sezingasekho eBotswana kufika umhlaka 31 Mpalakazi lonyaka.
Kuleziphepheli zeZimbabwe eziphose zifike amakhulu ayisikhombisa (688), ezisenkambeni yeDukwi elingaphandle nje, kwedolobho leFrancistown.
Inengi labaleka emakhaya ngesikhathi sokhetho lokudinga umongameli weZimbabwe ngomnyaka ka2008, lona olwaba lodlakela olumangalisayo okwacina abanye belahlekelwa ngumphefumulo.
Ngemva kweminyaka efika amatshumi eBotswana, uhulumende weBotswana uthi kasenelisi ukubangcina njalo ekhaya akusela simo esibi okukuthi iziphepheli sezingenelisa ukuphindela.
Inhlanganiso ebona ngeziphepheli umhlaba woke jikelele, eye United Nations High Commission on Refugees (iUNHCR), yabika nyakenye ukuthi isizakwehlisa imali eyinika amazwe agcina iziphepheli, okwadala ukuthi eleBotswana lithi lalo alisenelisi ukugcina iziphepheli ezinengi.
AbeZimbabwe, labeNamibia, babonakala beyingxenye yeziphepheli, okumele ziphume enkambeni yeDukwi ziphindele emazweni azo.
Esinye isikhulumi seziphepheli zeZimbabwe, umnunzana Wasu Chibi utshele iStudio 7 ukuthi abanye sebeqalile ukuphindela ekhaya, noma nje ekhonona ngokuthi imali abayiphiwayo eyohambo inlutshwana…
"Abanye sebeqala ukubuyela ekhaya, noma nje kuthiwa yi Voluntary Repatriation, mina ngikubona njenge deportation. Bakunika iP100 kuphela bayekutshiya emngceleni. Uma uhlala khatshana njengaboMutare awungeke wenelisa ukuyafika."
Uthi isimo enkambeni asilula, inengi libulawa yindlala ngoba kuthatha isikhathi ukuthi ukudla bekuthole…
"Into azimanga kahle enkambeni eDukwi, kwesinye isikhathi sithatha inyanga ezimbili singatholi ukudla. Lokhe sabuya lapha ngo2004, asikaze siphiwe ingubo, kodwa amalembu. Kuyaqanda."
UChibi uthi okwenzalela iziphepheli zeNamibia ezabaleka esiqintini seCaprivi, kuyeza lakubo. AbeNamibia laba baphiwe inyanga ezimbili kuphela ukuthi baphume baphele eBotswana, amapholisa ebophe labo abazame ukutshengisela eGaborone kuyonale iviki.
"AbeNamibia batshelwe ukuthi babuyele ekhaya, abantwana bazakhitshwa ezikolo. Sizwile ukuthi amapholisa abambile eGaborone bezama ukutshengisela. Akulamuntu ongakunika ithuba ukuthi ukhulume, njalo lokhu kuyasitshengisa ukuthi masinya nje, kuzabe sekuyithi."
Kusenjalo, abeZimbabwe abayiziphepheli zomnotho lezombusazwe kweleSouth Africa bathi kunengi abakwenzayo kuntuthuko yalelo lizwe kanti njalo lenhlupho zabo zinengi.
Isihloko sokuthakazelela ilanga leziphepheli lonyaka sithi ‘Simandawonye leziphepheli.’ Le yinkuthazo yenhlanganiso ye zizwe zomhlaba eyeUnited Nations, efuna iziphepheli zemukelwe, zinakakelwe njalo amalungelo azo ahlonitshwe.
Lesi yisikhalo esifanayo esiphuma kunengi labeZimbabwe abeza la kweleSouth Africa ngezombusazwe kanye lezomnotho.
Kuqula labeZimbabwe abaphephela kweleSouth Africa kulabongi, odokotela, omanjinela, ababalisi, abakhi, abatshumayeli, abaculi, labanye abazingcwethi emisebenzini ehlukeneyo.
Umgcinisihlalo weZimbabwe Community in South Africa umnumnzana Ngqabutho Mabhena uthi mkhulu umsebenzi owenziwa yiziphepheli zeZimbabwe ekuthuthukiseni eleSouth Africa.
"Abanye ba runner ama business ikakhulu ehlelweni lolu okuthiwa ngama Spaza Shops. Abanye bayizikhulu zamankampani njalo futhi basebenza kulezi inkampani zegovernment okuthiwa ngama parastatals. Abanye futhi bangomongikazi bangodokotela. Siyababona abanye futhi bayathengisa emgwaqweni."
Amatitshala wona afike kweleSouth Africa enza ezibukwayo. Inengi lezikolo ezizimeleyo ezithola impumela encomekayo ikakhulu emadolobheni afana leJohannesburg kugcwele wona amatitshala eZimbabwe.
Ngenxa yokwaziwa ngokusebenza gadalala, abeZimbabwe laba yibo futhi abagcwelephamu endaweni zokudlela elizweni jikelele besebenza njengabapheki lokupha izihambi ukudla. Akusakhulunywa ngabakhi, ngoba phose zonke izindlu ezakhiwe ngobuciko kweleSouth Africa, kulezandla ezinengi zeziphepheli zeZimbabwe ebezisakha.
Le yinto umnumnzana Star Ndlovu athi kufanele abakweleSouth Africa bayibonge.
"Bayabhadala iTax. Bayacreater imisebenzi for ama locals. I think indima abayidlalayo inkulu kakhulu. I think kuqakathekile ukuthi i Africa generally i embrace each other bebambane ngasosonke isikhathi because in South Africa they create employment. Umuntu olocal laye uyabenefitha, so I think it makes a big sense."
Ngitsho lasezikhundleni eziphezulu elizweni bakhona. Umnumnzana Gabriel Shumba, oweza kuleli ebalekela umbuso kamnumnzana Robert Mugabe useligqwetha elaziwayo kakhulu emthethwandaba weJohannesburg High Court.
Loba kunjalo esinye isizalwane seZimbabwe umnumnzana Moses Sibanda uthi bathwele amagabha avuzayo.
"Okwakuqala kwabanzima vele ukuthi sithole that document ama asylum seeker. Abantwabethu sibafundisa kuma private school ngamadocument aseZimbabwe ngingazi ukuthi i government yaseZimbabwe izabemukela. Lapha eSouth Africa futhi asoma citizen. Abantu bayahlupheka. Imisebenzi ayisekho yikho esihlangana lakho."
Umnumnzana Nkosini Tshuma yena uthi labayiziphepheli zezomnotho labo babhekane lohlupho olukhulu kweleSouth Africa.
Kwezinye indawo ezinengi nengi kunama limit okuthi amaforeigners, kwezinye indawo abafuni umuntu mhlawumbe olerefugee paper loba i work permit. Endaweni ezinengi kulamasystem abawasebenzisayo awokuthi abafuni abantu bangaphandle abangaka. Endaweni ezinengi awuqualifayi ukuthi uthole izinto ezinengi, so kunzima ukuphila uyisiphepheli.
Inengike likhala ngokuthi kuthatha iminyaka efika itshumi umuntu elokhu esamele ukuthi isicelo sakhe sokuphephela sihlolisiswe. Kulabanye njalo abathi iziphathamandla zikahulumende ezisemahofisini eziphepheli ziyenqaba ukukwengezelela isikhathi nxa ungaphathanga imali yesifumbathiso.
Kodwake umqondisi wogatsha lwendaba zasekhaya umnumnzana Mkuseli Apleni uthi kulomthetho osusezandleni zikamongameli welizwe abakhangelele ukuthi nxa ungavunyelwa uzaqeda inhlupho ezinengi ezibhekane lokuphiwa imvumo yokuphephela
Lumthetho usupasiwe ephalamende, okwamanje usukumongameli ukuze awemukele. Angavele awemukele, sengizakwenelisa ukuyaemankampanini amagqwetha, ngiqatshe amaqwetha ahluze zonke izicelo esezilinde kwedlulisa amalawulo. Le yinto esikhangelele ukuthi ingathatha iminyaka emithathu.
UMnumzana Apleni uthi okwakhathesi iziphepheli kweleSouth Africa zifika izinkulungwane ezingamakhulu amabili (200,000). Phakathi kwaleli nani uyavuma ukuthi abedlula izinkulungwane ezilikhulu kubo (100,000) sebelinde isikhathi esedlulise amalawulo bemele ukuthi izicelo zabo zokuphephela zilungisiswe.
Kodwake uthi uhlupho olukhulu yikuthi inengi labadinga ukuphephela laba kakusizo ziphepheli zoqobo kodwa ngabantu abazodinga amadlelo aluhlaza.
Ngokwesinqumo senhlanganiso ye United Nations, isiphepheli kufanele kube ngumuntu obaleke elizweni lakhe ngenxa yokuhlukuluzwa kwezombusazwe loba ezokholo.
Ukuhlaziya indlela iziphepheli ezivela kweleZimbabwe eziphila ngayo kwamanye amazwe, sixoxe loMnu. Butholezwe Nyathi, umgcinisihlalo wenhlanganiso elwela ilungelo lolunto, eye Migrant Workers Association-South Africa.