Online Reporter
Peter Matika
NEARLY 10 000 illegal immigrants, including Zimbabweans, have been busted at the South African border in just three months!
The Border Management Authority (BMA) says the wannabe border jumpers were nabbed in the first quarter of the year, with thousands turned back or deported for trying to sneak into the country without proper papers.
In a hard-hitting statement, BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato revealed that 5 826 were undocumented, 2 127 labelled inadmissible, and 2 001 declared undesirables.
“The majority of the intercepted and deported individuals were Basotho, Zimbabweans and Mozambicans,” he said.
Dr Masiapato said the BMA had been tightening screws at border posts since July 2022.
“Since then, our Border Guards have managed to stop about 496 622 people who attempted to enter South Africa illegally,” he said.
And the busts don’t end there!
15 suspected stolen high-powered vehicles were intercepted and handed over to cops. Another 349 vehicles that were reportedly being smuggled out of the country were also seized.
In a separate sting, border guards also grabbed:
• 32 bales of fake clothing
• 201 pairs of counterfeit shoes
• All worth a whopping R1 098 000
That’s not all — border guards uncovered 14 fake passports bearing dodgy immigration stamps in yet another plot to outsmart the system.
But what left many shaken was the interception of 13 children trying to cross the border, some without parents or legal paperwork.
“We intercepted about 13 children. Five were unaccompanied and were handed to the Department of Social Development. The other eight were with parents but didn’t meet entry requirements,” said Masiapato.
He warned that no child will be allowed to cross the border without the proper paperwork.
“If a child is under alternative care, they must produce a certified authorisation letter. Parents must also have an unabridged birth certificate. If travelling alone with a child, an affidavit or court order is needed,” he said.
The Commissioner added that in cases where both parents are deceased, approval must be obtained from the Director-General of Home Affairs before the child can travel.
