The SA Department of Home Affairs on Thursday last week deported 672 more undocumented Zimbabweans through Beit Bridge border as the crackdown on illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country intensified.

The illegal immigrants arrived in their country aboard eight hired buses.

The latest figure is the largest since the resumption of the deportations in October last year. Zimbabwe’s assistant regional immigration manager at Beit Bridge border post, Mrs Tamari Shadaya, said of the 672 deportees, 511 were from Lindela holding centre in Johannesburg while 161 were rounded up in various areas in Limpopo province.

“We received 672 Zimbabwean border jumpers on Thursday and they were sent to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for vetting and assistance before deployment to their respective homes,” said Shadaya.

She said on average they handled between 80 and 100 deportees a day. “We continue to urge travellers to make sure they have valid travel documents to avoid getting arrested for violating the Immigration Act.”

On arrival in Beit Bridge, the deportees are taken to the IOM reception and support centre where they are offered temporary shelter, food and transport to travel to their respective homes. However, most of them usually shun the assistance and find their way back to South Africa through undesignated entry points along the Limpopo River, despite the dangers of being attacked by crocodiles and robbers operating in bushy areas along the borderline.

South Africa resumed the deportation of Zimbabweans on 7 October last year, following the suspension of the exercise in May 2009. The government later introduced a special dispensation during which Zimbabweans were given an opportunity to regularise their stay in the country by applying for work, business and study permits.

Home Affairs officially completed the process of taking applications on 31 December last year and more than 275 000 Zimbabweans met the December 2011 deadline set by the department by which they had to apply to have their stay in South Africa regularized.