A total of 400 Zimbabweans who were recently deported from Botswana are reportedly faced by stalking hunger as they were caught unawares when they were dramatically rounded up in the Sadc nation which has since declared a record six-month mandatory lockdown, a cabinet minister has said.
Provincial Minister Judith Ncube
Appealing for assistance on behalf of the 400 deportees who were among those recently moved from Plumtree High School, Bulawayo Provincial Minister Judith Ncube said the locals are facing a dire need for foodstuffs while female deportees are also in need of sanitary pads and other essentials.
The Zimbabwean nationals who were moved from Plumtremd eight days at United College of Education (UCE) and Bulawayo Polytechnic. This comes after they spent six days at the disturbingly peopled educational institution.
According to Minister Ncube, the deportees are reportedly in need of foodstuffs which include beans, cooking oil, soap, vegetables, mealie-meal, soya chunks and sugar. She also called for humanitarian assistance in the form of blankets and general clothing which includes jerseys and jackets as most of the deportees only arrived with single pairs upon their dramatic deportation.
“As we can all see the situation in the country, there is need, in terms of food, toiletries and clothing. Our people had gone to other countries in search of jobs so as to have better lives. They are back and most of them could not manage to bring their belongings,” Ncube was quoted in the state-owned Chronicle as saying.
Zimbabwe, currently observing the 21-day national lockdown, quarantines all returnees and those deported from neighbouring Botswana in its fight against the Covid-19 scourge.
State Media
