Zimbabwean Labor Minister Paurina Mpariwa urged displaced Zimbabweans in the town of De Doorns in South Africa's Western Cape to come home because there has been considerable improvement in the country's economic and political situation.
South African Labor Ministry Spokesman Mzobanzi Jikazana told VOA that Mpariwa met earlier with her South African counterpart, Membathisi Mdladlana, and that the two agreed Zimbabwean-South African relations should be improved to avoid further xenophobic attacks on Zimbabweans.
Mpariwa assured the Zimbabweans, who fled their homes in a nearby settlement after coming under attack by locals in a dispute over farm jobs, that Harare would provide transport home. She said the civil servants among the displaced could return to their jobs.
Washington Mungofa, heading a committee that represents the displaced Zimbabweans, told VOA Studio 7 reporter Sithandekile Mhlanga that most of the displaced have taken up Mpariwa on her offer, though some remained skeptical about going home.
Zimbabwean Labor Minister Urges Displaced Zimbabweans in Cape Town to Return Home
- Sithandekile Mhlanga
Zimbabwean Labor Minister Paurina Mpariwa and her South African counterpart, Membathisi Mdladlana agreed Zimbabwean-South African relations should be improved to avoid further xenophobic attacks on Zimbabweans