South Africa has so far deported nearly 15 000 illegal Zimbabwean immigrants through the Beit Bridge border post since the government resumed the exercise last October.

The Zimbabwean regional immigration manager in charge of the border post, Mr Charles Gwede, said between 7 October and December last year, they handled 7 755 deportees. "Between 1 January and 2 March, 7 177 more Zimbabweans were brought back home,” he said.

On arrival in their country, the returnees are received by the immigration authorities at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Beit Bridge Reception and Support Centre (BRSC), who vet them to ascertain whether they are bona fide Zimbabweans. Soon after that process, IOM offers the deportees overnight accommodation, medication, food and transport to proceed to their respective homes.

Some of the deportees turn down any form of assistance from the IOM and those who opt to go home, using their own means, are released. It is also reported that most of them resort to crossing back to South Africa illegally through undesignated entry points along the Limpopo River, despite the dangers of being attacked by crocodiles or robbers operating in the bushes near the river.

The IOM spokesperson, Mr Knowledge Mareyanadzo, told Limpopo Mirror that his organisation had so far assisted 12 708 returnees with transport to travel to their respective homes. The IOM BRSC has the capacity to
accommodate 600 people at any given time.

More than 275 000 applications from Zimbabweans wishing to regularise their stay in South Africa have been processed, while several others were turned down and some are pending.