JOHANNESBURG—As polls open for Zimbabwe's presidential election on Wednesday, among the many people hoping for a peaceful outcome are the refugees who have crossed the border to South Africa over the past five years.
The Central Methodist Mission in downtown Johannesburg has offered shelter and job advice for thousands of Zimbabweans who fled the political violence and economic stagnation that followed the last presidential poll in 2008.
"It's everyone's dream to go back home but we need tangible changes there," said Shephard Zikuyumo, who came to the shelter in 2009. His space is a small bed wedged into a stairwell.
[h=3]A Sanctuary in Johannesburg[/h]The Central Methodist Mission in downtown Johannesburg has offered shelter and job advice to thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing political violence.
Charlie Shoemaker for The Wall Street JournalA man prayed during a service at the Central Methodist Church.
[h=3]Timeline[/h]Key political events in Zimbabwe since independence
1980 - Zimbabwe gains independence from Britain after a guerrilla war; Robert Mugabe becomes prime minister and his Zanu-PF party begins decades as the country's ruling party.
1987 - Mr. Mugabe amends constitution to abolish PM's post and create executive presidency.
2000 - Voters reject constitutional referendum with clauses empowering government to take land without having to compensate. War veterans loyal to Mr. Mugabe begin violent land seizures from white farmers. Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party contests a parliamentary election.
2005 - Mr. Mugabe amends constitution to provide for compulsory acquisition of white-owned land by the state without compensation.
2008 - Mr. Mugabe suffers first electoral defeat in first-round voting to Mr. Tsvangirai. Mr. Tsvangirai pulls out of runoff, which was accompanied by violence, saying there was no chance for a free and fair process.
2009 - Zimbabwe forms a tenuous unity government between Mess. Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Mr.Tsvangirai becomes prime minister.
March 16, 2013 - In a special referendum, voters approve a new constitution that sets term limits for the president and gives more power to local officials, a step needed to happen before new elections.
June 13, 2013 - Zimbabwe's Constitutional Court rules presidential elections should be held at the end of July, bypassing Parliament.
July 31, 2013 - Presidential elections.
Staff reports
The 26-year-old artist says he was lucky to find a job at a fish-and-chips shop here.
About one million Zimbabweans now reside in South Africa, accounting for about 7% of the population. That figure could balloon again—or contract—in the aftermath of Wednesday's vote, which again pits President Robert Mugabe against Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader who took the post of prime minister in the uneasy resolution to 2008 polls.
"South Africa is at the receiving end of whatever goes wrong in Zimbabwe," said Reason Machengere, who works at the Solidarity Peace Trust, a nonprofit that provides counseling to Zimbabweans who were victims of political violence.
The job seekers are a concern for South Africa's government, already trying to reduce the country's own 25% unemployment rate.
"We're hoping once things stabilize that Zimbabweans here illegally, particularly the economic refugees, can go back home," said Ebrahim Ebrahim, South Africa's deputy minister of international relations.
The ebb and flow of people coming through the doors of the Central Methodist Mission has mirrored the ups and downs in Zimbabwe.
At the height of violence in Zimbabwe in 2008 and 2009, there were around 3,500 Zimbabweans staying at the church's shelter, says Bishop Paul Verryn. Today that figure has dwindled to around 800.
The Zimbabweans crowd into the nooks and crannies of the church, where the smell of urine and sweat is thick in the air. People make homes in closets or the church stairwell.
When Eaneyway Chaywmbuka arrived in South Africa at the end of June from Zimbabwe, he couldn't find a job. He joined fellow Zimbabweans at Mr. Verryn's sanctuary to seek advice.
[h=3]Related Video[/h]