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Beitbridge - A total of 49 Zimbabweans, believed to be mostly ex-convicts, jumped off moving buses as they were being deported from South Africa by road on Thursday morning.

The group was among 322 people Zimbabweans who were being repatriated into the country via Beitbridge border post in a convoy of four buses. They had been rounded up in Gauteng Province by South African authorities for violating immigration laws while others were ex convicts who had completed their prison terms in that country.

A majority of the deportees had taken advantage of the self-deportation facility, whereby immigrants pay a fee to be repatriated. The immigrants were coming from Lindela Transit and Holding Centre in Johannesburg.

Sources yesterday told The Chronicle three people jumped off the bus near Bakwena tollgate along the N1 highway while the second group made their escape between Polokwane and Makhado towns.

"They jumped off when the buses slowed down where the highway is under maintenance," said one of the sources. Zimbabwe's consul general to South Africa, Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro, confirmed the developments yesterday. "The deportation process needs to be reviewed to avoid such incidents. There are ongoing discussions to have ex-convicts separate from normal over stays when self deporting.

"This seems not to have been done when this last movement took place. This, coupled with the perennial complaints that irregular migrants aren't given an opportunity to collect their belongings, result in such actions." Mukonoweshuro said the escorts during self- deportations are also limited to two or four officials who travel in their own vehicles and not in the buses.

He said the arrangement needed to be reviewed. Mukonoweshuro added that South Africa introduced the self-deportation process in October due to financial constraints in that country.

He said under the self-deportation process, the immigrants pay R350 in transport fees for them to be sent to Zimbabwe. Mukonoweshuro said those who preferred being deported by air would also pay the prescribed rates by the airlines.

"The new system of self repatriation has thus far been received well by inmates at Lindela Holding Facility. The inmates also felt that the conditions in Lindela are not conducive for a long stay. "Furthermore they also couldn't stomach being in the facility during the festive season" he said.

Mukonoweshuro added that those without money would occasionally be deported during weekends in Home Affairs trucks. He said the host government usually stops deportation between 15 December and 15 January of each year. "We want to urge our nationals to have relevant documents and regularise their stay in South Africa to avoid unnecessary situations," Mukonoweshuro said.

The Chronicle is reliably informed that the South African government would, prior to the new development, spend R538 on transporting one person from Lindela to Beitbridge and also spend R99 for each person's upkeep per day. It costs R240 to travel between Beitbridge and Johannesburg using public transport.

The deported immigrants are being assisted by the department of Social Services with warrants to travel to their respective homes. A total of 14,372 people were deported from South Africa between March and November while 1,418 bodies of Zimbabweans were repatriated for burial between January and June this year.

In April this year, the government repatriated a total of 1,200 people from areas within Durban and Johannesburg who were fleeing xenophobia motivated attacks in that country.