“You Can Always Start Over”: Zimbabwean Shows Day 1 at Home After Leaving SA Following 20 Years

• A Zimbabwean woman named Thalente shared a video showing her first day back in Zimbabwe after spending 20 years living in South Africa
• The video showed her turning the run-down space into a liveable home with furniture and a proper roof
• Her story comes as thousands of foreign nationals have left or are still leaving South Africa following the March and March movement's 30 June deadline

After 20 years of calling South Africa home, Thalente packed up her life and went back to Zimbabwe. She shared the journey on TikTok on 23 June 2026, starting with day one of her return.

What she came back to was not easy. The house was in poor condition, with bare sandy floors, unfinished walls, no windows and an unkempt yard. She got straight to work.

The video shows her mopping floors and turning the space into something liveable. A second building was also cleaned out and set up as an extra room.

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By the end of the clip, the home had furniture and a proper setup for daily living. In another section of the building, a fire was going, and food was being prepared.

A country dealing with a major shift

Thalente's story is one of thousands playing out across South Africa right now. Following the March and March movement's unofficial 30 June deadline for undocumented foreign nationals to leave, a massive wave of repatriations began.

Over 15,000 Malawian nationals were processed through official channels, with 112 buses transporting them home via Beitbridge. Zimbabwean nationals were also among those leaving, with 26 buses transporting over 1,500 people through the same border post between 12 and 24 June alone.

Some people left early to avoid the tension, while others were still waiting for transport.

For Thalente, the move was already in motion before the deadline. But the timing means her story sits right at the heart of one of the biggest moments in recent South African immigration history.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

Mzansi and Zimbabwe relate

People watching her rebuild from scratch were moved, sharing their thoughts on her TikTok page:

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@Esper said:

"As long as you're alive and healthy, you can always start over."

@rebeccanaidoo611 wrote:

"God bless you and keep you safe. Pray for you and all our friends we made for years; may they receive everything they lost tenfold as you all start over again."

@kimmyathi said:

"What is that porridge? It looks so creamy."

@ThalenteMnyandu said:

"Thank you 🙏🏻"

@cynthiamthembu76 wrote:

"Great progress, Thalente. We are really proud of you 💐💐💐"

@Redaliah said:

"Happy you are safe, more than anything."

@Noneofyourbusiness wrote:

"Proud of you, stranger."

More on Zimbabwe and SA's immigration debate

• Briefly News recently reported on a Cape Town employer defending her Zimbabwean workers after years of employing them.
• A Zimbabwean man publicly thanked anti-illegal immigration activist Phakelumthakathi for pushing for undocumented foreigners to leave.
• The Zimbabwean government outlined its reintegration plans for returning citizens, and what President Mnangagwa said about how families should treat those coming home struck a chord.

Source: Briefly News