By Naledi Nyoni
BEITBRIDGE — Women’s Affairs Minister Monica Mutsvangwa has handed over 1,000 dignity kits to Zimbabwean women returning from South Africa through the Beitbridge Reception Centre, saying the government has support structures in place to help them rebuild their lives.
The dignity kits, donated by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), contain sanitary pads, soap and undergarments. They were distributed on Monday to women who have been deported or are returning from South Africa.
Addressing the returnees, Mutsvangwa said deportation should not mark the end of their opportunities, adding that government had established support mechanisms at provincial, district and ward level to assist their reintegration.
She said the returnees would receive assistance aimed at ensuring a “dignified, safe and long-term recovery.”
UNFPA Zimbabwe country representative Miranda Tabifor said the dignity kits would help restore the confidence and wellbeing of women and girls affected by displacement.
“The dignity kits we hand over today are a tangible symbol of that commitment.
“For every woman and adolescent girl receiving one, these kits provide essential health and hygiene supplies as well as a sense of self-worth that is often stripped away during crises,” Tabifor said.
Mutsvangwa also handed over 10 tonnes of rice donated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa for the returnees.
She said many of those arriving at the reception centre had endured significant hardship after losing their livelihoods, possessions and homes.
“As a woman, and in my capacity as the Minister of Women Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprises Development, I am profoundly saddened by the human stories behind every individual who has passed through this reception centre.
“The loss of livelihoods, the scattering of cherished possessions and the abandonment of places you called home are not just statistics; they are painful realities that tear at the fabric of our shared humanity,” Mutsvangwa said.
