Zimbabwe — Flow Monitoring Report (July 2024)

Key Highlights:

• During the reporting period, 35,187 movements were recorded, and 1,380 migrants were interviewed across 20 Flow Monitoring Points (FMPs) in Zimbabwe.
• The South Africa-Zimbabwe corridor recorded the highest movement of 32,309 (92%) followed by the Zambia-Zimbabwe corridor which recorded 2,878 (8%) movements.
• Among the migrants travelling to South Africa from Zimbabwe who specified their intended length of stay, 29 per cent planned to remain for 6 to 12 months, whereas 19 per cent mentioned a duration of 3 weeks to 3 months.
• Migrants were further asked about the type of visas they have or are using, and 153 migrants stated were holders of visitors while 32 were Zimbabwe Exemption permit holders. Most (73%) of the migrants with visitor visas were female migrants. South Africa was indicated as the current country of residence by 97 per cent of the migrants with visitors’ visas.
• Income-generating activities were highlighted by most (53%) of the migrants residing in Zimbabwe as their main source of income. Further investigation on the type of activities the migrants were undertaking cited vending (23%), poultry (22%) and grocery store (20%) as the top 3 activities.
• Over the reporting period, 25% of the interviewed migrants travelling from Zimbabwe to other neighbouring countries indicated their primary reason for movement as looking for livelihood opportunities while 14% cited that they were going to look for employment. These reasons could also be attributed to an analysis published on FEWS NET in the month of July “Below-normal incomes are impacting market access as the 2024/25 lean season begins early” which highlights that most typical sources of income during this lean season remain significantly below normal, including crop sales, casual labour, and self-employment. This analysis further highlights that most households in the country continue to employ consumption-based coping measures such as skipping meals, reducing meal portions, or prioritizing the feeding of children and the ill to cope in this season.