Four Zimbabwean illegal immigrants drowned in the Limpopo River while attempting to cross the border illegally into South Africa on two separate occasions, police have said.

Local police spokesperson Insp Tafanana Dzirutwe said the first incident occurred on Friday, 11 February at around 18:00. “A 24-year-old woman, Clementia Nkomo (24) of Bulawayo, who was in the company of her husband, Mlungisi Sithole (31) and their three-year-old son approached Mr Takani Ndlovu (33), so that he could assist them illegally to cross the border to South Africa for a fee.

“Soon after agreeing on a fee, they proceeded to the Maria illegal crossing point and went into the Limpopo River, intending to cross the border. In the process of crossing the flooded the river, the woman and Ndlovu were swept away by the strong tide and subsequently drowned,” he said.

The woman’s husband managed to rescue his son and swam back to the Zimbabwean side. He then reported the matter to the police. The two bodies have not yet been retrieved and a local police sub-aqua unit team has since been deployed to the scene.

In the second incident, two Zimbabwean men from the Zvishavane area outside Beit Bridge drowned on Sunday (February 13), while trying to cross into South Africa. The incident occurred at the Mawale illegal crossing point.

“The two victims, Tawanda Murevi (26) and Tafadzwa Sibanda (25), were part of a group of five suspected border jumpers who intended to cross the border to South Africa illegally. When they were halfway through, the two victims were swept away and drowned,” he said.

The other three men retreated to the bank and tried to search for the two, but they could not find them and a report was made to the police.