There has been debate over the exact number of Zimbabwean migrants who are living in South Africa. The ANC’s Lindiwe Zulu said there were “millions of Zimbabweans living in South Africa” and she would like them to help resolve the conflict in their country.
However, official data from the United Nations (UN) indicate that the Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa are less than one million.
The director of the Centre for Actuarial Research (CARe) at the University of Cape Town Tom Moultrie is not convinced with the ‘millions’ figure. He said:
The population of Zimbabwe is only about 12 or 13 million people. If there are ‘millions’ of Zimbabweans [in South Africa], then that means one-sixth of the population that was in Zimbabwe is now in South Africa.
| Estimated number of Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa | |
| Year | Zimbabweans |
| 2000 | 127,073 |
| 2005 | 220,867 |
| 2010 | 470,423 |
| 2015 | 604,248 |
| 2017 | 649,385 |
Source: United Nations Population Division