"It's Hard Being a Zimbo"
There’s a big immigration story in South Africa this week. It’s not getting much international attention but it’s important for this country, and the story is timeless and universal in many ways.
Zimbabwe, South Africa’s neighbor to the north and once one of Africa’s most prosperous countries, has fallen on very hard times in recent years, and millions of Zimbabweans have fled to South Africa. Estimates vary, but there are between two and five million Zimbabweans here. Most of them are what American immigration officials call “undocumented.”
A few months ago the South African government announced that by December 31, all Zimbabweans (or “Zimbos”) living in South Africa must submit paperwork to become legal residents. Those who don’t comply will be deported. December 31 is tomorrow, which has created a fair amount of panic.
Joe has been covering the situation all week and I’ve accompanied him to various immigration offices and consulates, practicing at being a journalist. We’ve seen some pretty amazing sights.




Home Affairs stretched around two city blocks.
I don’t want to get into the politics of the situation, whether the South African government is right or wrong, what Zimbabwe’s role is, or how this might play out in the United States. It’s so complicated I can barely understand it myself.
But what strikes me are the human stories that make up a news story like this. Millions of individual people who have left their homeland behind out of desperation and are trying to survive. Many of the Zimbabweans I spoke to were teachers or doctors or engineers back home, but here they do manual labor for $15 a day. Every day they spend waiting in line for a visa is a day of missed work. Many of them still have spouses and children in Zimbabwe but they are terrified to go back and visit, for fear they won’t be able to get out again.
“I’ve been here since 3:00 a.m.,” said Mike, a 21-year-old waiter who was slogging along in the line at the consulate. I heard of others who spent the night, or even two or three consecutive nights, waiting in line. “This process is slow. They will never finish.”
“We’re suffering!” a woman called out.
“R750 (about $110) is too much for this passport,” said Wellington, who was waiting in line with his wife and baby. Wellington submitted his passport application two months ago and still hasn’t received it.




“It’s hard being a Zimbo,” said one guy as I walked by. Hard indeed.
This is both a political and tragically personal scenario being played out in many places around the globe. There are no easy answers, and as you mention, it is difficult to fully understand the complexities of it all. I can only speak to the heartbreak that I’ve witnessed in the families I deal with year after year. Right or wrong, my heart hurts for the millions of ‘undocumented’ families across the globe who are in search of a more promising future. Thanks for sharing another glimpse into your fascinating new life.
Hey, thanks so much! I just enjoyed reading about your lapsed holiday traditions :)
As you said it is a very complex situation. On the one hand I have great empathy for the plight of the Zimbabweans. On the other, as a South African, I worry what effect the influx of so many immigrants is going to have on our country’s already stretched resources.
Thanks for a very interesting post & photos!
Thank-you for a little insight, about an issue I knew nothing about….the photos were interesting as well, as usual.
amazing stories! thank you for sharing…