Bulawayo, (New Ziana)- Government is setting up migration centres in Bulawayo and Harare to assist returnees with information to seamlessly re-integrate into society, an official said on Monday.

Chief director, Labour Administration, Employment Services and Promotion in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Clifford Matorera told New Ziana that government had established an inter-ministerial committee and information centres to ensure that returnees from South Africa are re-integrated into society without difficulties.

The move by government follows announcement by the South African government of its intention not to renew temporary residence permits for hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans. At least 185 000 hold the permits which will not be renewed, but the country expects the return of an estimated three million Zimbabweans from South Africa.

“Besides providing information for re-integration, the centres will also be used to give information to our citizens who would also want to go to other countries. The centres will have documented information about other countries where Zimbabweans go. This will help them to know the laws of those particular countries they will be going,” Matorera said.

“This will help to reduce cases of people who are traveling to other countries without adequate information and they will end up on the receiving end like what we were witnessing in the Middle East,” he said. He said the centres will also provide information to Zimbabweans returning to the country from other countries on how to re-settle back home.

“It is a way of providing much needed information when they go and come back. When our citizens come back things will have changed and they need to know what is really happening in Zimbabwe in terms of employment issues and qualifications required that is the reason we are establishing such centres,” Matorera said.

He said his Ministry, together with that of Foreign Affairs, was also monitoring the operations of private employment agencies in the country in a bid to stamp out illegal human trafficking.

“We are currently ceased with the matter of reviewing the current legislation for recruitment so that we are able to track and see where our people are being recruited and offer them much needed information so that they don’t end up being exploited,” he said.

New Ziana