More illegal immigrants intercepted

The Zimbabwean police, in conjunction with the Department of Immigration, have rounded up 43 more illegal immigrants comprising Chinese, Ethiopians, Somalis, Eritreans and a Nigerian, who were attempting to sneak into South Africa through the Beit Bridge Border Post.

The local police spokesperson, C/Supt Lawrence Chinhengo, said the group of 10 Chinese, 22 Somalis, eight Ethiopians, two Eritreans and a Nigerian, was arrested on Monday during an ongoing joint operation involving police and immigration officials in the border town.

“We arrested 43 illegal immigrants who intended to cross into South Africa illegally through Beit Bridge Border Post. The Chinese’s passports were not stamped, a clear indication that they had also entered Zimbabwe illegally, while the East Africans had no documents at all,” he said.

He said the illegal immigrants were arrested, following the interception of their bus at a road block along the Beit Bridge-Masvingo road. Chinhengo said they would appear in court soon on charges of contravening the Immigration Act, after which they would be deported.

“Preliminary investigations reveal that the Chinese entered the country illegally through Harare International Airport and when they got to the airport, they did not make efforts to pass through immigration. The East Africans used undesignated entry points along the Nyamapanda border post to enter into Zimbabwe illegally, apparently taking advantage of our porous borders,” Chinhengo said.

The latest arrest follow a similar raid, which saw 42 undocumented Congolese intercepted in the border town last week, during the blitz on illegal immigrants. The raids comes barely a week after another group of 20 illegal immigrants, comprising Ethiopians and Congolese, was rounded up in the border town while in transit to South Africa.

The crackdown on illegal immigrants follows a recent meeting in Beit Bridge between Zimbabwean and South African immigration officials over the issue of irregular migration between the two countries.

The Zimbabwe assistant regional manager in charge of Beitbridge Border Post, Mr Charles Gwede, said they had intensified the fight against irregular migration. “This is an ongoing exercise that we are carrying out with the assistance of police as we intensify the fight against irregular migration between Zimbabwe and South Africa,” Gwede said.

News - Date: 03 June 2011

Mashudu Netsianda

Mashudu Netsianda is our correspondent in Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe. He joined us in 2006, writing both local and international stories. He had worked for several Zimbabwean publications, as well as the Times of Swaziland. Mashudu received his training at the School of Mass Communication in Harare.

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