8 things Zimbabweans in South Africa can’t do without.

When you move to a foreign country, you definitely do not server ties with your mother country. As people migrate there are a lot of things that they will definitely need from their home country. Here are the 8 things Zimbabweans in South Africa need (and you probably need 5 of them)

Consular Services

Zimbabweans need to replace their expired, lost or damaged passports while in South Africa. babies are born and definitely require birth certificates and passports. The Zimbabwe Consulate in Bedfordview  and Cape Town provide all the services related to birth registration, passport applications, temporary travel documents and repatriation services.

Food and groceries

People always crave for the food they grew up consuming. The ever popular Mazowe is one of the most sort after beverages. Shops like African Basket stock  a variety of Zimbabwean brand foods that include Cascade, Cerevita, Mazowe, Pfuko, Sun jam and Tanganda.

Funeral service providers

Zimbabwean companies like Doves, Nyaradzo and Moonlight have established branches in South Africa to provide funeral cover and repatriation services for Zimbaweans living in South Africa. Some companies like Tanaka Life were born in South Africa to provide the same service.

Goods Transporters

Zimbabweans in South Africa provide for their families back home. Every month they send groceries home using informal transporters also called malayitsha. These carry all kinds of goods from furniture to empty buckets, appliance to building material. They also transport people.

Money Remittance

Besides sending goods, Zimbaweans need to send money to their relatives. In 2018 $1.9 Billion was sent home by the Zimbabwe diaspora. It is estimated a third of this amount originates from South Africa. Besides the banks offering money transfer services, the money can be sent via fintechs like Mama Money, HelloPaisa, Ecocash Remit

Besides these informal channels, a lot is sent using buses, relatives, malayitshas and other unregistered individual operators.

Buses

Most people use buses to travel between South Africa and Zimbabwe. This route is serviced by both Zimbabwe and South African operators. In Johannesburg there are at least 3 bus termini servicing Zimbabweans. Some buses travel from as far as cape Town to Harare.

Airtime

Recently people have started selling Zimbabwe networks airtime credits in South Africa. You purchase the credit here in South Africa , receive the pins via social media or SMS and send to your relatives in Zimbabwe. Econet airtime is also available in Shoprite.

Courier Services

Besides sending goods by malayitshas and buses Zimbabweans living in South Africa also need courier services to deliver important documents. Whilist applications for Zimbabwe passports are currently being done at The Zimbabwe Consulate, production is in done in ZImbabwe. The completed application forms are sent via secure couriers to relatives who in turn submit at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ passport office.