Temporary shelter at former consulate in Bruma strains basic services
More than 300 Zimbabwean nationals are currently staying at the former Zimbabwean consulate premises in Bruma, Johannesburg, waiting to be repatriated after being displaced during anti-immigrant unrest earlier this year, according to reporting by Daily Maverick reproduced by UA.News.
Families have come to the site from Pretoria, Johannesburg and Vereeniging. Stacked furniture and personal belongings are being kept next to the building while community organisations try to meet immediate needs.
- Number affected: more than 300 people
- Location: former Zimbabwe consulate premises, Bruma, Johannesburg
- Arrivals from: Pretoria, Johannesburg, Vereeniging
- Primary concerns: halted repatriation transport, water and toilet shortages, outbreak of diarrhoea
Volunteers from the Siyafana Sonke Action Campaign are providing food, medical supplies, hygiene products and other assistance at the site. But campaign representative Tessa Dooms warned the situation is deteriorating because provision of transport by the Zimbabwe government, which had run buses for several months, has stopped in recent weeks. She urged the governments of South Africa and Zimbabwe to urgently speed up repatriation.
"She urged the governments of South Africa and Zimbabwe to urgently speed up repatriation."
Health concerns have been raised by local groups working at the premises. Ethel Musonza, founder of Zimbabwe Isolated Women in South Africa, reported an outbreak of diarrhoea among those sheltering and said one woman gave birth at the consulate last week. Musonza said that donations helped that woman return to Zimbabwe.
Campaign workers described water shortages and only a few operational toilets on the site. They said those conditions pose a serious health risk, particularly for children.
Lives and livelihoods disrupted
The displaced people at Bruma include those who lost homes, jobs and schooling as tensions spread during the unrest in March. A 15-year-old boy from Vereeniging told Daily Maverick he was expelled from school in early August during an anti-immigrant protest and was later evicted by his landlord. He said he now wants to return to Zimbabwe and is waiting for the promised buses.
Other accounts outline sudden economic loss. Self-employed carpenter Hanani Nleya said he returned from work in the Free State on 19 August to find his shack in Sebokeng gutted by fire, with furniture, a phone and his savings — R1,500 — destroyed. Another man, Abel Ndlovu, said protesters forced migrants to leave his workplace; his employer dismissed him because he lacked documentation and his landlord ordered him to vacate his home.
These stories highlight the ripple effects of unrest: loss of shelter and income, interrupted schooling and rising pressure on civic groups trying to fill gaps in state and diplomatic responses.
What remains unclear
Daily Maverick reported that consulate staff did not give a timetable for when buses would collect people. The pause in transport arrangements has left many stranded at the Bruma premises with uncertain next steps.
| Issue | Reported detail |
|---|---|
| Transport | Buses previously arranged by Zimbabwe government have stopped; no new timetable provided |
| Sanitation | Only a few toilets; water shortages reported |
| Health | Reported outbreak of diarrhoea; childbirth at the premises |
Local residents and volunteer groups have tried to patch the immediate needs, but campaign workers say only an expedited repatriation plan coordinated by both governments will prevent further health and humanitarian problems.
City services have not been cited in the reporting as having taken over management of the site, and the consular premises remain the focal point for families seeking to return to Zimbabwe. For now, men, women and children remain in Bruma amid uncertainty, their belongings stacked beside them, waiting for the next bus.
Reporting from Daily Maverick and content reproduced by UA.News formed the basis of this account.
