IOM officially handed over the Plumtree Migrant Reception and Support Centre to the Government of Zimbabwe on the 29th of April 2015. Speaking at the official handover ceremony held at the Plumtree Reception and Support Centre, the IOM Chief of Mission Mr Martin Ocaga, in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Rangarirayi Tigere, the IOM’s Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, Mr Ocaga said cross border migration has a long history in Southern Africa and was probably the single most important factor tying together all of the countries in the region into a single regional labour market. Mr Ocaga noted that SADC countries have, within the framework of the Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) recognized that cross border migration was a regional concern and that bilateral and multilateral agreements however provide a ray of hope in strengthening regional countries to deal with this concern.

IOM and the Government of Zimbabwe have since the establishment of the Beitbridge and Plumtree Reception and Support Centres in 2006 and 2008 respectively provided assistance in the form of food, safe migration advice, protection assistance, medical and counselling assistance, HIV counselling and testing services and transport assistance to various in-country destinations to over 580 000 nationals returned from South Africa and Botswana. Mr Ocaga , noted that the handover was happening within the context of IOM’s strategic transition from humanitarian to development programming and that whilst deportations from South Africa and Botswana will most likely persist, it is anticipated that more long term and sustainable solutions to deportation dynamics have to be addressed on a bilateral basis with the respective countries.

Speaking on behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe at the same occasion, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Mr Ngoni Masoka said deported citizens will continue to get assistance and his ministry had been allocated $300,000 in this year’s budget to run the two support centres in Beitbridge and Plumtree. “I’m, therefore, confident that the officers will be able to receive our returning citizens and assist them with dignity” Said Masoka. He further noted that the ministry was working on creating 18 additional posts for qualified personnel that would be equally divided between the Beitbridge and Plumtree support centres. The handover included the premises, equipment and vehicles to the Government of Zimbabwe for the continued support to returned migrants.

See more pictures for this event