News / Africa
SA immigration loses patience with border jumpers
09 Apr 2013 at 20:03hrs | Views
A Zimbabwean bus operator was recently fined R190 000 after the crew caught with 19 passengers attempting to enter South Africa illegally.
This follows a crackdown by the South African government on errant bus companies who carry travellers without requisite travelling documents to that country.
The South African government is imposing a 10 000 rand fine per passenger. Pretoria has now invoked a section of the Immigration Act that punish bus operators caught carrying foreigners without travelling documents by imposing heavy penalties on those who fail to comply with the law of that country. Several bus operators have incurred heavy losses in the last few weeks after being caught on the wrong side of the law.
Bravo Tours, plying Harare-Johannesburg is one of the companies that was slapped with a R190 000 fine after its crew was caught with 19 passengers without passports.
Coach and Bus Operators Association has since written to its members warning them to desist from carrying people with no valid documentation.
"Kindly be advised that the South African Department of Home Affairs has been issuing notices of fines to all operators whose buses bound for Zimbabwe were found with passengers without passports," said the association's chief executive officer, Mr Alex Kautsiro. One of the tickets issued to one bus operator read as follows:
"You are hereby informed that in terms of section 50 (3) of the (Immigration) Act you have incurred a fine to the amount of ––– depending with persons found on the vehicle ' for contravening section 35 (7) of the Act."
Said Mr Kautsiro: "We are therefore calling on all operators who have been issued with notices to pay these fines to bring these to our attention so that we may lodge a formal appeal with the South African embassy in Zimbabwe and hopefully we might have these reversed or reduced."
Mr Kautsiro has since warned their members not to carry people with no valid documents.
"In the interim, kindly advise all managers and bus crews both in South Africa and Zimbabwe to stop issuing tickets to persons not holding legitimate travel documents. Affidavits highlighting that a travel document has been stolen are not going to suffice - be warned," read a statement sent to members.
In an interview on Monday, Mr Kautsiro said their members had in the past been carrying passengers with affidavits from South African Police indicating that they lost their travelling documents.
"South African authorities want a supporting letter from the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria confirming that the passenger was a holder of a passport. So possession of an affidavit from the police is not enough as the feeling is that one can secure that affidavit when he has never possessed a passport at all," said Mr Kautsiro.
He said they had since appealed to South Africa Home Affairs as provided by that country's legal statutes.
The move by Pretoria is likely to affect several Zimbabweans and other people from various other regional countries.
This follows a crackdown by the South African government on errant bus companies who carry travellers without requisite travelling documents to that country.
The South African government is imposing a 10 000 rand fine per passenger. Pretoria has now invoked a section of the Immigration Act that punish bus operators caught carrying foreigners without travelling documents by imposing heavy penalties on those who fail to comply with the law of that country. Several bus operators have incurred heavy losses in the last few weeks after being caught on the wrong side of the law.
Bravo Tours, plying Harare-Johannesburg is one of the companies that was slapped with a R190 000 fine after its crew was caught with 19 passengers without passports.
Coach and Bus Operators Association has since written to its members warning them to desist from carrying people with no valid documentation.
"Kindly be advised that the South African Department of Home Affairs has been issuing notices of fines to all operators whose buses bound for Zimbabwe were found with passengers without passports," said the association's chief executive officer, Mr Alex Kautsiro. One of the tickets issued to one bus operator read as follows:
"You are hereby informed that in terms of section 50 (3) of the (Immigration) Act you have incurred a fine to the amount of ––– depending with persons found on the vehicle ' for contravening section 35 (7) of the Act."
Said Mr Kautsiro: "We are therefore calling on all operators who have been issued with notices to pay these fines to bring these to our attention so that we may lodge a formal appeal with the South African embassy in Zimbabwe and hopefully we might have these reversed or reduced."
Mr Kautsiro has since warned their members not to carry people with no valid documents.
"In the interim, kindly advise all managers and bus crews both in South Africa and Zimbabwe to stop issuing tickets to persons not holding legitimate travel documents. Affidavits highlighting that a travel document has been stolen are not going to suffice - be warned," read a statement sent to members.
In an interview on Monday, Mr Kautsiro said their members had in the past been carrying passengers with affidavits from South African Police indicating that they lost their travelling documents.
"South African authorities want a supporting letter from the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria confirming that the passenger was a holder of a passport. So possession of an affidavit from the police is not enough as the feeling is that one can secure that affidavit when he has never possessed a passport at all," said Mr Kautsiro.
He said they had since appealed to South Africa Home Affairs as provided by that country's legal statutes.
The move by Pretoria is likely to affect several Zimbabweans and other people from various other regional countries.
Source - TH
