By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
AN upsurge in irregular migration among young Zimbabweans over the past two to three decades is reshaping the country’s migration landscape, with increasing numbers heading to neighbouring countries, particularly South Africa and Botswana.
The trend was highlighted by IOM Head of Sub-Office in Beitbridge, Mr Nhamo Muleya during a two-day training workshop for journalists on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) at Migration Corridors held in Beitbridge recently.
Presenting on global, continental, regional and national migration trends , Muleya said Zimbabwe had a long history of internal and international migration and was now simultaneously a source, transit and destination country.
“migration had increasingly become a survival and coping strategy, with the youth making up a significant proportion of those undertaking irregular migration,” He said.
Muleya said the upsurge in irregular migration over the past two to three decades was predominantly youths from Zimbabwe to neighbouring countries, notably South Africa and Botswana.
While official statistics on the full scale of Zimbabweans leaving the country through irregular routes were unavailable, Muleya said deportations from South Africa and Botswana provided an indication of the magnitude of the phenomenon.
He said more than 580 000 returned Zimbabwean nationals had been received at Border Post Reception and Support Centres (BPRSCs).
The presentation also showed the scale of movement through Zimbabwe’s formal borders.
Data shared from the Department of Immigration showed that in 2025, official border crossing points recorded 4 173 823 movements, comprising 2 117 114 entries and 2 056 709 exits.
But not all migration takes place through official channels.
Muleya said IOM monitoring of irregular migration routes around Beitbridge recorded 106 699 movements at nine Flow Monitoring Points in 2025, including 40 920 entries and 65 779 exits.
The figures underline Beitbridge’s importance as a major migration corridor and highlight the challenge of reaching people who move outside formal border systems with essential services and information.
He said Zimbabwe’s migration picture was characterised by mixed migration flows including stranded migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, internal migrants and both voluntary and involuntary returnees.
He said the country’s migration patterns had become increasingly complex, with irregular labour migration growing over the years.
Muleya said the growth in Zimbabweans working abroad had brought benefits, but concerns remained over the unbridled manner and clandestine nature of some labour migration.
He also noted that labour migration was associated with a loss of specialised skills across various economic sectors.
Muleya said migration was also rising across Africa, driven by factors including poor socio-economic conditions, political instability, conflict and civil strife.
For some communities, he said, migration had become a survival strategy.
He said African migration was becoming increasingly complex and dynamic, with emerging trends including the feminisation of migration, youth migration and an upsurge in irregular and mixed migratory flows including human trafficking and migrant smuggling.
The presentation came during an IOM-sponsored training aimed at strengthening journalists’ ability to report responsibly and accurately on issues affecting migrants, women, young people and other vulnerable populations.
With young people increasingly at the centre of Zimbabwe’s irregular migration flows, the workshop highlighted the need for health and migration reporting that reflects the realities of people on the move.