Police boost anti-smuggling measures

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Police in Beitbridge have changed and upgraded their border patrols to curb the smuggling of both people and goods across the Limpopo River, resulting in 64 arrests in the past week.

These changes follow the sprouting of illegal crossing points along the river, with a marked increase of people using the river to enter and leave Zimbabwe to avoid mandatory Covid-19 quarantining.

Beitbridge Border Post has been closed to non-essential human traffic since March 30 and is open only to commercial cargo, Zimbabweans coming home and the transportation of remains of Zimbabweans and South Africans for burial in their own countries.

The closure of the border has seen more people turning to criminal activities along the border. They are now using the Dulivhadzimu Gorge, three kilometres west of the port of entry and the spill way, which is 500 metres east of the Old Limpopo Bridge (Alfred Beit Bridge) to cross into South Africa.

Officer commanding police in Beitbridge district, Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo, said they arrested 64 people at these two points within a week.

“These were carrying an assortment of goods between July 7 and 14,” he said. “Though we have limited personnel at our disposal given Covid-19 related duties Beitbridge is facing and the sprouting of these new illegal crossing points, we are revisiting existing deployments to ensure that security along the borderline in strengthened.

“You will note that this is no longer a fight against smuggling alone, but that has escalated to curtail the import of the deadly virus too.”

Chief Supt Nyongo said the 64 people they arrested were carrying varying items.

“Ten were intercepted with 94 tyres, nine bales of clothes, blankets, bags and assortment of goods,” he said. “Fifty four were intercepted with a variety of goods on different days at the spillway.”

Chief Supt Nyongo said the total value of the intercepted goods was yet to be ascertained.

The effective patrolling of the border is being hampered by the unavailability of a security road along the 250km stretch of the border from Shashe to Tshikwalakwala area. Though there are other roads, these run parallel to the Limpopo River and are located between 15km and 20km away.

On the other hand, the South Africans have a road, which runs along the river within 200 metres to 300 metres.