Botswana’s New President Advocates for Legalising Undocumented Zimbabweans

Botswana’s newly elected president has indicated a desire to regularise the status of undocumented Zimbabweans by issuing temporary work and residence permits, according to recent reports.

“They do jobs that would otherwise not get done,” Duma Boko stated, according to the BBC Africa Daily podcast.

Botswana is home to the world’s second-largest population of Zimbabweans who have fled their country’s economic crisis. Despite being a significant workforce, these migrants often face resentment and are subject to daily deportations.

The proposal is unlikely to be popular in Botswana, a nation rich in diamonds, but Boko, who has recently ended the 58-year reign of the ruling party, insists it is part of his broader economic revival strategy.

Boko acknowledged the challenges posed by the influx of thousands of undocumented Zimbabweans through the extensive and porous border with their home country. 

He said, “They come in and are undocumented. Then their access to amenities is limited, if it is available at all, and what they then do is they live outside the law and they commit crimes – and this brings resentment.

“So what we need to do is to formalise, have a proper arrangement that recognises that people from Zimbabwe are already here.”

Although the exact number of Zimbabweans in Botswana is uncertain, thousands have migrated since Zimbabwe’s economy collapsed due to hyperinflation two decades ago. Many have sought political asylum as well.

Statistics reveal that Zimbabweans constitute 98% of what are termed “irregular migrants.” In response to a parliamentary query earlier this year, a minister noted that between 2021 and 2023, 13,189 out of 13,489 recorded irregular migrants were Zimbabwean nationals.

Daily deportations of Zimbabweans lacking proper documentation or involved in criminal activities are organised by police stations nationwide. These migrants typically engage in low-wage labour, often as domestic workers or farmhands.

“A considerable number of these Zimbabwean workers undertake jobs that locals find unattractive, filling a crucial gap,” Boko stated.

However, there was significant opposition last year when it was suggested that identity cards be used instead of passports for travel between Botswana and Zimbabwe, with fears that this would increase Zimbabwean immigration.

Boko further stated, “In any and every construction site in Botswana the majority of people with those skills are from Zimbabwe, so we need to do a twin programme of allowing them to come in and we utilise the skills that they have and in the process of utilising these skills we also engage in some sort of skills transfer.

“We can’t stop people with skills from coming in when we don’t have the skills ourselves – we need to develop these skills and it takes time, so in the interregnum we need to have them come in properly, come in legally and be rewarded appropriately for the skills that they bring.”

Frances Ibiefo

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