Some Zimbabwean nationals living in South Africa are eager to go back home to vote in next week’s general elections.
Zimbabwe goes to the polls on Monday next week. This will be the first elections after the ousting of former president Robert Mugabe in November 2017.
Jabulani Baloi has spoken to some Zimbabwean nationals and filed this report.
Thirty two-year-old structural engineer, Alfred Shereni from Zimbabwe has been working in South Africa since 2014.
He says he has been monitoring political developments at home eagerly.
Shereni says he is planning to travel back home over the weekend to vote next Monday.
“I am looking forward to go actually. I will be travelling over the weekend to go and vote. In Mugabe’s time things were stiff but after the coup we saw that there’s democracy people are free to say anything they want even to attend rallies.”
Shereni believes that opposition leader – Nelson Chamisa from the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance – is a formidable opponent to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Some Zimbabwean nationals are however less optimistic. James Rhanganani thinks there won’t be changes as ZANU-PF will never concede defeat.
Rhanganani and Peter Chupa will not be able to make the journey back home. They say they will go back to Zimbabwe if economic conditions change after elections.
“We need new change. We need a new Zimbabwe, and first thing I want to see is all foreigners in South Africa must go back to Zimbabwe.”
The Beit Bridge border post in Musina is expected to be busy over the weekend as thousands of Zimbabwean nationals will be heading back home to vote.
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