The emergence of a powerful South African civil society has encouraged and reinforced Zimbabwe's nascent civic sector. And democratic practice south of the border has provided an impetus to constitutional reform in Harare, long resisted by Mugabe and his cabal. Mugabe's impatience with what he sees as democratic licence, trade imperialism and regional ambitions that rival his own came to a head last year when he exchanged sharp words with then president Nelson Mandela over Zimbabwe's intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But tensions remain. So does the unceremonious deportation of Zimbabweans who fail to get through the immigration net.
Stories abound of mistreatment by South African police.
Resentment of South Africa is mirrored in reports in the official media which regularly characterise South African cities as the most dangerous places on Earth. Despite this, for many Zimbabweans the streets of South African cities offer opportunities for informal trading that do not exist at home. In a period of severe economic hardship these openings keep many families fed. But they are poor compensation for the loss of Mozambique. After nearly 10 years of defending the Frelimo government against South African-sponsored insurgents before 1992, Zimbabwe has seen South Africa's rapacious exporters turn Mozambique into a captive market.