Limpopo Mirror’s correspondent at Beit Bridge, Mr Mashudu Netsianda, was detained by the SAPS at the Beit Bridge border post on Monday afternoon, allegedly at the instigation of the local Border Control Operation Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) coordinator, Mr Michael Malindi.

This reporter had apparently approached Malindi, seeking a comment on the situation at the border post, following massive congestion that had resulted in travellers' being delayed at the port of entry.

Netsianda and a colleague from a Zimbabwean newspaper were taken to the SAPS offices at around at 12:20 where they were subsequently detained for at least three hours by detectives from the Crime Intelligence Unit for questioning. The journalists’ passports, notebooks and a camera which, however, did not contain images of the border, were confiscated by the detectives as they interrogated them. At around 15:00, the two were released after police had failed to press charges against them.

Meanwhile, BCOCC spokesperson Mr Patrick Moengs attributed the border delays to an increase in movement as more Zimbabweans working in South Africa were returning in large numbers as well as the rigorous border screening processes involved.

“As border authorities, we are dealing with nationalities of different countries, hence we are obliged to check on various things, which include scrutinising travel documents and permits as some people have a tendency of wanting to capitalise on the situation by presenting fake documents. We are also checking on firearms, among other things, which are likely to be smuggled into South Africa and that is precisely why travellers encountered delays at the border,” he said.