From Bulawayo to Botswana: One Family’s Story of Reinvention

The Mloyi family left Bulawayo for Gaborone in 2008 during Zimbabwe’s economic crisis. Father Thabo was a mechanical engineer; mother Grace a teacher. Fifteen years later, Thabo runs his own engineering consultancy and Grace is a deputy headmistress at one of Gaborone’s top primary schools.

“We never intended to stay this long,” says Grace. “But Botswana was good to us, and we built a life here. Now our children know both countries as home.”

The family remains deeply connected to Bulawayo. They visit twice a year, support three nieces and nephews through school, and have invested in a small block of flats in Nkulumane that provides rental income.

“Our children are proud Zimbabweans,” Grace insists. “They know where they come from. We make sure of that.”