It has been one hell of a roller-coaster for the Zimbabweans that were recently deported.
It started off with an announcement that Zimbabweans with criminal records would be deported from the UK. Some had been in the UK for almost all their lives and had even started and raised families there. As a result, some British MPs signed a letter begging the government not to deport these Zimbabweans.
All was in vain when the deportations began and Zimbabwe received its first batch of UK deportees on the 22nd of July 2021.
The question now lies, how are they coping thus far?
A UK publication did a follow up on the lives of some of these deportees. Their findings are sad.
One 43 year old deportee, a father of five, was returned on the basis of a 13 month prison sentence in 2012. He says after completing his quarantine period, he has been sleeping on the floor in someone’s shed.
The father of five children who are all still in the UK had this to say:
“I had no money, no identification card, nothing. Just a pair of shoes and the clothes I was wearing. My living situation is impossible. I have relatives in the UK who are trying to find a way to send me money and help me, but everyone has also got their own problems. A few friends I still know in Zimbabwe who I ask for food. It’s so embarrassing. I’m coming from a rich country and I’m having to beg for food.”
The man did not wish to be named for fear of being sought after by authorities who will ask why he was claiming asylum when he left. However, he stated that he will return to the UK by whatever means possible so that he can be with his children.
A certain Munyaradzi Ndowa, 37, who had been in the UK since 2007 was also deported and is now in Bulawayo. Although this is the city where he grew up, he is now living on the streets because he no longer has any family or support system there.
We can expect things to be more difficult for people such as the 29-year-old, who came to the UK with his family aged nine. He stated that he won’t even know where to begin or what he’ll do since he doesn’t know anyone in Zimbabwe. In addition he doesn’t have money or know how to speak Shona or Ndebele, so he fears he might stand out like a sore thumb.
What are your thoughts?
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