Robbers shoot border jumper dead

Beitbridge Bureau

A suspected border jumper  believed to be in his early 20s was shot and killed after encountering armed robbers at an illegal crossing point along the Limpopo River yesterday.

The man was shot in the head as he got to the South African side of the border around 5pm. It is understood that the man was part of a syndicate commonly known in the border area as Mazalawi, that is involved in the  smuggling of goods.  The incident occurred near the spillway, about a kilometre east of the Beitbridge Border Post.

“He was heading to South Africa in the company of another friend when they came across the armed robbers,” said a source.

“The deceased had an altercation with one of the robbers who then shot him in the head and escaped. His friend escaped and rushed to alert security officials along the border.”

Police officer commanding Beitbridge district Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo confirmed the incident last night.

“We are yet to get full details on the matter since the incident occurred on the South African side of the border,” he said.

South African police spokesperson for Limpopo Province, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo could not be reached for comment last night.

Cases of border jumping are common along the Limpopo River and have been on the increase as many people cannot use the formal crossing point because of tight Covid-19 regulations.