Three Zimbabwean illegal immigrants, who were allegedly smuggled into South Africa though the Beitbridge border post, were killed while 13 others were seriously injured when a Gauteng-registered vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and overturned, police have said.

Police spokesperson in Limpopo Capt Mashudu Malelo told Mirror that the incident occurred last Tuesday (February 27) at about 07:45 on the Waterpoort-Vivo public road. He added that the vehicle, a Toyota Venture, had been overloaded.

"The driver of the vehicle had 19 illegal immigrants on board when he lost control of the vehicle, resulting in its veering off the road, before it overturned and killed three people on the spot. The deceased are Abraham Morerwi (26) of Mutare, Marai Ngwevhure (26) of Kwekwe and Polite Machinji (22) of Masvingo, all male adults.

The injured are Handrie Seven (34) from Harare, Lillian Taruvinga (26) of Chitungwiza, Tendai Gwenhure (25) from Kwekwe, Deliwe Mojaji (16) of Gokwe, Member Ndlovu (26) from Lupane, Leah Taruvinga (23) of Chitungwiza, Hebert Tafadzwa Chingerere (21) of Gokwe, Shepherd Siziba (25) of Bulawayo, Sibekezulu Ncube (25) of Kwekwe, Gibson Mariare (31), Busani Ndlovu, Everight Khumalo (39) and Susan Mpala.

The driver is among the injured persons. The vehicle was travelling from Waterpoort to Vivo.

The accident comes about two years after 20 Zimbabweans, two of them toddlers, were killed when the minibus they were travelling in overturned and plunged into a dry river bed near Makhado.

Of late, there has been an increase in the number of Zimbabwean illegal immigrants being smuggled into the country by unregistered cross-border transport drivers, commonly known as omalayitsha, for a fee ranging from between R800 and R1 000.

Recently, police in Musina arrested 13 Zimbabwean cross-border transport operaters for transporting several illegal immigrants, among them some children. They were intercepted at a roadblock mounted along the N1 highway near Beitbridge and were on their way to Gauteng.