Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
MORE than 3 600 people were arrested at the Beitbridge Border Post in December as the Department of Immigration intensified enforcement measures to curb illegal migration and cross-border crime during the festive season.
The arrests were carried out by the Department of Immigration’s Regional Compliance and Enforcement Unit as part of an ongoing multi-agency operation aimed at preventing criminals and undocumented travellers from exploiting increased cross-border traffic between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Figures from the department show that 3 640 people were intercepted and arrested for various immigration-related offences in December alone.
In the same period, 27 travellers from countries including Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Egypt, Mozambique, Burundi and Congo-Brazzaville were denied entry into Zimbabwe for failing to meet visa and entry requirements.
Assistant Regional Immigration Officer-in-Charge for Beitbridge, Mrs Canisia Magaya, said the intensified compliance operation was being conducted in collaboration with other border agencies to safeguard the integrity of the port of entry.
“We have started witnessing a surge in south-bound traffic, although the movement is sparse,” said Mrs Magaya.
“We have deployed enough manpower to ensure a smooth flow of traffic at the same time enforcing compliance with immigration laws.
“In December, we intercepted 3 640 travellers going either side of the border for violating our laws and we refused entry to 27 others for various reasons, including not having visas to enter Zimbabwe.”
Mrs Magaya said despite the heightened enforcement, authorities had deployed adequate manpower to ensure the smooth processing of travellers while maintaining strict adherence to immigration laws.
During December, the Beitbridge Border Post processed a total of 437 372 travellers, comprising 263 575 arrivals and 173 797 departures.
Mrs Magaya urged travellers to plan their journeys carefully and consider travelling during off-peak hours, such as early mornings or late evenings, to avoid delays.
“The movement of traffic at the moment is generally quiet although we have seen a notable increase in activity on the exit side,” she said.
“We encourage those exiting to adhere to exit protocols with the assistance of border officials.” Zimbabwe and South Africa are implementing a harmonised traffic management system, which began on December 15 and runs until January 10, to reduce congestion and processing time on both sides of the border.
South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato is leading a delegation of senior Government officials at Beitbridge to oversee operations and ensure improved efficiencies during the peak travel period.
At the height of the festive season, the border post was handling an average of 18 300 travellers daily, alongside 1 300 light vehicles, 1 000 commercial trucks and 250 buses, with the majority of movements being departures from South Africa.
Beitbridge remains the busiest land border in the region, serving travellers from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, the DRC, Botswana, Tanzania and Mozambique, many of whom are based in South Africa.
Authorities expect outbound traffic to increase from this weekend as holidaymakers begin returning to their respective bases.
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