It is a sultry, yet humid October afternoon, characterized by the hot sun, which hangs palely under the blue clear sky, undoubtedly marking the dawn of summer. The taxi rank is teeming with a huge influx of people, the majority of them Zimbabweans.

Welcome to the small, but frenetic border town of Musina, which has of late turned into a haven for Zimbabweans. Afternoon shoppers and vendors are competing for space on the streets of the town that now perfectly fits a description of "Little Zimbabwe."

This is exactly what Musina has turned into today, as scores of Zimbabweans fleeing economic hardships back home have "transformed" the border town into their second home. Sadly, residents are now bearing the brunt of it. They said the latest development had seen an upsurge in crime, with Zimbabweans being accused of perpetrating crime around Musina town. Farmers and safari operators along the border area are also accusing Zimbabweans of straying onto their farms and destroying their farm property.

Residents who spoke to Mirror on Monday expressed mixed feelings over the huge influx of Zimbabweans flocking into their town, with some saying they were fuelling crime.

"These Zimbabweans are involved in crime and we are saying there is a need to flush them out of Musina. We know some of them team up with local South Africans to rob people and recently I lost a cell phone to two Zimbabweans at knifepoint while walking towards my home," said Miss Martha Matshini of Mushongoville suburb.

Another resident, Mr Rudzani Ndou of Nancefield, echoed Matshini’s sentiments: "We are urging police and the department of Home Affaires to step up the fight against illegal Zimbabwean immigrants who are now making life unbearable for us here in Musina. If the responsible authorities delay in addressing this issue, then I can foresee the worst coming especially in light of the coming 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa. As a border town, we are going to receive a lot of visitors from other nations as they will enter the country through Musina."

However, other residents had kind words for the foreigners. "These Zimbabweans are actually a boost to our businesses and the Musina economy at large because they come in large numbers to shop here and most of them pay cash for what they would have purchased, unlike locals, so why should we perceive them in a bad light?" asked Mr Raja, a businessman, who runs a shop in Musina.

"These Zimbabweans are here not because of their liking but largely because of the deteriorating situation in their country, and you will find that most of them just come here to buy food and other commodities in short supply in their country and I don’t see anything wrong with that," said Mrs Mpho Mudau of Matswale.

She said some South Africans were being driven by xenophobia to hate Zimbabweans. "Zimbabweans are just victims of circumstances and therefore, solely blaming them for crime would not be fair. Even locals are involved in crime and not every Zimbabwean is a criminal. Therefore, I think we are just nurturing xenophobic attitude against them and we really need to change," said Mudau.

Miss Nyarai Moyo, a Zimbabwean based in Musina, involved in selling food at the local taxi rank, said: "I am just here to eke out a living because back home it is tough. As far as I am concerned, I don’t see a reason why South Africans should ill-treat us the way they are doing as we are fellow Africans. Where is this much talked African Renaissance applicable?" she asked furiously.

Due to the deteriorating situation in that country, the number of Zimbabweans entering South Africa through the Beitbridge border post, both illegally and legally, continues to increase as the economic situation, characterized by perennial food shortages and deteriorating poor social services, becomes worse.

Ill Zimbabweans are also now resorting to Musina Hospital for treatment, as essential drugs are reportedly in short supply in the neighboring country.

The Musina Hospital’s chief communications and liaison officer, Mr Edward Malima, recently confirmed to Mirror that the hospital occasionally handled Zimbabweans. "As an institution, we normally get some patients from Zimbabwe being admitted here and in any case a patient is a patient, despite nationality, and therefore we simply offer them treatment, regardless of where they come from," he said.