News / Regional
800 Zimbabweans deported from SA
25 Jun 2015 at 07:06hrs | Views
A SECOND batch of 800 Zimbabweans is expected to arrive in the country from South Africa tomorrow morning by train, an official has said.
The first group of 796, all male, arrived in the country via the Beitbridge border post on June 3.
It is understood that these were rounded up for violating South Africa's immigration laws. The latest arrivals brings to 8,750 the total number of people who have been deported from South Africa since the beginning of the year.
Zimbabwe's Consul General to South Africa, Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro said the documentation of those due for deportation would be completed today.
He said the group would be left at the National Railways of Zimbabwe station adjacent to the government run reception and support centre which has a carrying capacity of 1,000 people at any given time.
"We expect them to leave Johannesburg on Thursday (today) and arrive in Zimbabwe the next morning.
"There are over 800 people due for deportation, but we'll have the exact number by end of day tomorrow (yesterday) upon completion of the documentation processes" Mukonoweshuro said.
He said they had agreed in principle with the Home Affairs department that children and women would always be deported in buses.
Mukonoweshuro said the train was introduced as a way of decongesting the swelling numbers of illegal immigrants at the Lindelani Transit Holding Centre.
He said the train would only be used in cases where there would be larger numbers of people at the centre.
Mukonoweshuro 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 requisite affidavits, in cases where only one of the parents is travelling with a minor," he said.
The first group of 796, all male, arrived in the country via the Beitbridge border post on June 3.
It is understood that these were rounded up for violating South Africa's immigration laws. The latest arrivals brings to 8,750 the total number of people who have been deported from South Africa since the beginning of the year.
Zimbabwe's Consul General to South Africa, Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro said the documentation of those due for deportation would be completed today.
He said the group would be left at the National Railways of Zimbabwe station adjacent to the government run reception and support centre which has a carrying capacity of 1,000 people at any given time.
"There are over 800 people due for deportation, but we'll have the exact number by end of day tomorrow (yesterday) upon completion of the documentation processes" Mukonoweshuro said.
He said they had agreed in principle with the Home Affairs department that children and women would always be deported in buses.
Mukonoweshuro said the train was introduced as a way of decongesting the swelling numbers of illegal immigrants at the Lindelani Transit Holding Centre.
He said the train would only be used in cases where there would be larger numbers of people at the centre.
Mukonoweshuro 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 requisite affidavits, in cases where only one of the parents is travelling with a minor," he said.
Source - chronicle
