SA to deport Zimbabweans fortnightly

Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
The South African government will soon be deporting Zimbabwean illegal immigrants every fortnight as they heighten efforts to decongest Lindela Transit Holding Centre in Johannesburg, an official has said.

Zimbabwe’s Consul General to South Africa, Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro made the revelations on Friday after assessing the deportation processes of the second batch of 800 Zimbabweans who arrived in the country via the Beitbridge Border Post by train.

The all-male group arrived on a 13-coach train escorted by 104 police officers, 10 immigration officers, 13 PRASA security guards and the Director of Lindela Holding Centre, JayJay Jackson.

“We’ve agreed in principle with the Department of Home Affairs that no immigrants will be kept at Lindela for over three months. They’ve promised to deport men only by train after every two weeks. The holding centre has a carrying capacity of 4,000 people including those from various countries. At the moment, we’re left with around 694 Zimbabweans at Lindela including women and 175 blocked ex-convicts who are still being vetted for various crimes by the police,” Mukunoweshuro said.

He said they had also got assurance from the Home Affairs Department that women and children will only be sent home on buses.

The first group of 796, also all-male, arrived in the country via Beitbridge border post on June 3.

Mukonoweshuro said the train was introduced as a way of reducing the numbers of illegal immigrants at the Lindela Centre. It was pleasing, he said, to note that deportees were being provided with food, accommodation, and counselling, information on safe migration processes, medical treatment especially for those with critical protection needs and travelling warrants to their homes at the government run reception and support centre.

He reiterated the need for Zimbabweans travelling to South Africa to always ensure that they are properly documented. “Those travelling with children must be aware of the new requirements of long birth certificates and the affidavits, in cases where only one parent is travelling with a minor,” he said.