SA, Botswana deport 30,000 Zimbabweans
South Africa President Jacob Zuma addresses the United Nations General Assembly on September 28, 2015 in New York City. About 30,000 Zimbabweans have been deported from South Africa and Botswana this year alone. PHOTO | JOHN MOORE | AFP
What you need to know:
- South Africa has already deported 14,450 for violating the country’s immigration laws, while Botswana has ejected 13,847.
- Most of the deportees were ejected from South Africa because of lack of valid travel documents and overstaying.
PRETORIA
About 30,000 Zimbabweans have been deported from South Africa and Botswana this year alone.
Zimbabwe’s acting Immigration Officer in charge of Beitbridge Border Post, Mr Innocent Hamandishe, told the parliamentary committee on peace and security the figures were from January and the first two weeks of September this year.
“We have an average of 2,000 deportees per month. For instance, we received 2,190 in June and 2,236 in August,” he said.
South Africa has already deported 14,450 for violating the country’s immigration laws, while Botswana has ejected 13,847.
The Botswana figure is a 45 per cent increase from last year’s 9,500 deportees in eight months.
BORDER PATROLS
Most of the deportees were ejected from South Africa because of lack of valid travel documents and overstaying.
Mr Hamandishe also told the committee that human trafficking was rife at the border, especially on buses coming from South Africa.
“We have tightened screws and deployed immigration security guards to all entry and exit points within the border post to reduce irregular migration. Those intercepted are made to pay fines for entry by evasion,” he said.
Security agents carry out random patrols along the borderline to reduce cases of illegal migration.
