Zimbabwe says almost 100,000 of its citizens have returned from South Africa since late May amid heightened tensions over immigration in the neighbouring country.
Information Minister Zhemu Soda said on Wednesday that 99,418 Zimbabweans had been repatriated since May 28, with women and children making up around 70% of those who returned.
The figures were included in a repatriation and reintegration report presented to the Cabinet on Tuesday, according to the minister.
Soda said authorities had reinforced operations at border crossings to manage the rising number of arrivals. Zimbabwe was also providing assistance to Malawian and Zambian nationals travelling through the country on their way home.
The government has established support services at the Beitbridge Repatriation Centre, where returnees are being provided with food, clothing and medical care.
First lady Auxilia Mnangagwa has also donated food and clothing to the centre as authorities seek to meet increased demand caused by the influx.
“Healthcare workers have treated several patients, screened 870 children for malnutrition and identified and treated 15 cases of diarrhoea,” Soda said.
The repatriations come as Zimbabwe and South Africa seek to maintain close diplomatic and cultural ties despite growing public pressure over migration.
On Tuesday, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa met AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and a delegation of traditional leaders from South Africa.
Mnangagwa later said the meeting had reinforced the deep historical and cultural bonds between the two countries.