By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – A popular Chiredzi clergyman, Bishop Ranger Moyo, has launched the Bishop’s
Ark, a humanitarian initiative supporting Zimbabwean nationals returning home after being
displaced by xenophobic violence in South Africa, with the bishop personally diverting funds
from his own construction project to assist stranded returnees.
Thousands of Zimbabweans and other foreign nationals have been caught up in the latest wave
of anti-migrant hostility in South Africa, forced to abandon jobs, savings and homes as violence
and threats escalated. Many are being repatriated through their respective consulates back to their
home districts, only to find themselves stranded with no money to complete the final leg of their
journey.
The Bishop’s Ark is Moyo’s response to that gap, providing rapid, dignified assistance to
returning nationals and migrants affected by the displacement, focusing on transport, temporary
shelter, food security and holistic care that includes spiritual guidance and psychological support.
In an interview with TellZim News, Bishop Moyo said he was moved to act after encountering
desperate, stranded returnees whom he helped personally with food and transport money, before
formalising the effort under the Bishop’s Ark name.
“We do not have funding as of yet; we are pumping funds from our own pockets. We have a
construction project which we have halted, and we have diverted the budgeted funds into helping
our returning nationals,” said Bishop Moyo.
He said the initiative had since linked up with the District Development Coordinator’s office and
the Department of Social Welfare, where data was being captured on those assisted.
“We are currently assisting them with food, temporary shelter and transport money to reach their
final destinations. If funds permitted, we would also like to arrange grocery hampers, as some
have nowhere to begin life from. We have helped people travelling as far as Nyanyadzi,” he said.
Bishop Moyo shared a heartbreaking case of a husband who had fled Durban, leaving behind his
wife and children in a life-and-death situation.
“We have since made contact and learnt that she is no longer in Durban. She had fractured ribs
after being heavily assaulted by South Africans in their home. We are now organising her bus
fare so she can travel safely and receive proper medical attention,” he said.
Bishop Moyo has since called on fellow spiritual leaders to come on board and support citizens
affected by the xenophobic displacement in South Africa.
The bishop’s initiative comes against the backdrop of a rapidly escalating repatriation exercise.
The Zimbabwean government says the current wave of returns began on May 28, 2026, after
anti-immigrant pressure groups in South Africa issued an unofficial June 30 ultimatum
demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave the country.
As of the government’s most recent figures, roughly 78,000 Zimbabweans have returned home
since the exercise began, about 21,000 through government-assisted arrangements and the rest
through self-repatriation.
Government efforts have centred on the Beitbridge Reception Centre, where an inter-ministerial
committee coordinates registration, health screening, psychosocial support and onward transport,
with ZUPCO buses moving returnees to their home provinces. Officials have acknowledged that
private sector players, church organisations, NGOs and development partners are needed to
complement state efforts, precisely the kind of gap Bishop’s Ark is stepping into at community
level in Chiredzi.
National humanitarian groups such as Gift of the Givers have also flagged that thousands of
returnees remain stranded despite official interventions, suggesting that grassroots, locally
funded efforts like Bishop’s Ark are filling a real
