News / National
22 000 Zimbabweans deported from Botswana and South Africa
22 Nov 2011 at 04:26hrs | Views
OVER 18 000 illegal Zimbabwean immigrants have been deported through Plumtree Border Post this year, while 4 000 have been processed at Beitbridge Border post since last month as Botswana and South Africa intensify deportations of illegal immigrants.
This has seen a surge in the number of people seeking travel documents at the Registrar General's Office.
Staff at the RG's office is now working overtime to clear the people.
This was revealed by the Immigration department and RG Mr Tobaiwa Mudede as he gave oral evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and Defence.
The committee chaired by Glen View MP, Mr Paul Madzore (MDC-T) wanted an update on the deportations ahead of its familiarisation visit next week.
The RG said at least 600 people had their documents processed per day in Harare alone, a figure he said was high by normal standards.
"Presently due to the deportations taking place, the number of people coming to our office has been very high. We have put ourselves on overtime, working from Monday to Sunday, we are coping," Mr Mudede said.
Principal Director in the Immigration department Clemence Masango said deportations were an on-going process.
The deportees, he said, have raised a number of complaints over the manner they were being treated during the deportations.
"The deportees complain that they are not being offered time to pack their bags, collect their salaries from their employers or inform their relatives," he said.
There were also extreme cases, said Mr Masango, where minors were separated from their guardians or where breastfeeding mothers would complain that they would have left their infants.
"We have had minors not accompanied by parents. We had mothers who complain that they left their infants behind, those cases are difficult to handle. It is difficult to determine the veracity of those claims," he said.
"On November 14, 2011, we had a mother who raised that complaint and it was proven and she was allowed to go back, but those cases are difficult to believe."
Mr Masango also dismissed media reports that Rwanda genocide fugitive, Protais Mpiranya was in Zimbabwe.
Nyanga South MP, Mr Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) wanted the immigration boss to confirm if Mpiranya was in the country and if so what was his legal status.
"All efforts have been made to check on this allegation, we have no records of this person either on a permit or as a refugee," he said.
Mr Masango said Interpol had also made enquiries to them but it has not been proven that he is in the country. On the impending national budget, Mr Mudede implored the committee to lobby that his department be allowed to retain 100 percent the revenue it collects.
He said the 100 percent retention, which commenced three years ago would go a long way in helping the department discharge its duties including mobile voter registration ahead of the harmonised elections expected next year.
This has seen a surge in the number of people seeking travel documents at the Registrar General's Office.
Staff at the RG's office is now working overtime to clear the people.
This was revealed by the Immigration department and RG Mr Tobaiwa Mudede as he gave oral evidence before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs and Defence.
The committee chaired by Glen View MP, Mr Paul Madzore (MDC-T) wanted an update on the deportations ahead of its familiarisation visit next week.
The RG said at least 600 people had their documents processed per day in Harare alone, a figure he said was high by normal standards.
"Presently due to the deportations taking place, the number of people coming to our office has been very high. We have put ourselves on overtime, working from Monday to Sunday, we are coping," Mr Mudede said.
Principal Director in the Immigration department Clemence Masango said deportations were an on-going process.
The deportees, he said, have raised a number of complaints over the manner they were being treated during the deportations.
"The deportees complain that they are not being offered time to pack their bags, collect their salaries from their employers or inform their relatives," he said.
There were also extreme cases, said Mr Masango, where minors were separated from their guardians or where breastfeeding mothers would complain that they would have left their infants.
"We have had minors not accompanied by parents. We had mothers who complain that they left their infants behind, those cases are difficult to handle. It is difficult to determine the veracity of those claims," he said.
"On November 14, 2011, we had a mother who raised that complaint and it was proven and she was allowed to go back, but those cases are difficult to believe."
Mr Masango also dismissed media reports that Rwanda genocide fugitive, Protais Mpiranya was in Zimbabwe.
Nyanga South MP, Mr Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) wanted the immigration boss to confirm if Mpiranya was in the country and if so what was his legal status.
"All efforts have been made to check on this allegation, we have no records of this person either on a permit or as a refugee," he said.
Mr Masango said Interpol had also made enquiries to them but it has not been proven that he is in the country. On the impending national budget, Mr Mudede implored the committee to lobby that his department be allowed to retain 100 percent the revenue it collects.
He said the 100 percent retention, which commenced three years ago would go a long way in helping the department discharge its duties including mobile voter registration ahead of the harmonised elections expected next year.
Source - TH
