Beitbridge border rush: SA beefs staff

The South African government has beefed up its staff at the Beitbridge Border Post to cope with the increased volume of  travellers expected to use the port where up to 30 000 people are said to have passed through daily since the beginning of the month, The Zimbabwe Mail has learnt.

The SA government has also halted illegal immigrants deportations for the festive season after realising some people handed themselves over to officials for deportation to get  free transport to border posts.

According to a statement on the SA Home Affairs ministry website, 47 auxiliary staff were deployed at the border to complement 106 officers. Some of those deployed were from the anti-corruption unit.

It is understood that 17 735 people had left SA for Zimbabwe from December 1 to  date and during the same time 8 672 SA nationals arrived into the country through Beitbridge.

Beitbridge is the border post which links Zimbabwe and South Africa directly and is known to be the busiest in sub-Saharan Africa.

There are a considerable number of cases of smuggling between the two countries with South Africa worried about the amount of cigarettes being smuggled from Zimbabwe into that country.

"With high numbers of people expected to cross borders during the festive season, the counter-corruption unit will be deployed at ports of entry to South Africa for monitoring and evaluation," said the website.

The Home Affairs Department together with Border Control Operational Co-ordinating Committee (BCOCC), which comprises the Saps (South Africa Police Services) and Sars (South Africa Revenue Services), will conduct continuous joint operations within the ports and also within the 10-km radius.

Illegal immigrants who often hand themselves over with the view to be sent home only to return in the New Year could also be detained until the New Year. This after the department took a decision to halt deportations during the festive season, said the statement.

Zimbabwe also beefs up staff during this time of the year at the border posts where of late delays have been reported due to Ebola disease screening between the two countries.