Zimbabwe Rejects Calls to Expel 25,000 South African Citizens

The Zimbabwean government rejected populist parliamentary demands to expel an estimated 25,000 South African nationals residing in the country. According to reporting from iHarare, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi defended the decision in Parliament, citing the regional philosophy of Ubuntu and the need to maintain diplomatic decorum. The legislative pushback emerged as thousands of Zimbabwean migrants face forced repatriation from South Africa due to tightening permit regulations. Local political factions argued that Zimbabwe should retaliate symmetrically to protect domestic labor markets and signal geopolitical strength. This diplomatic restraint exposes Zimbabwe's vulnerability to regional economic retaliation if it disrupts bilateral relations with Pretoria.