The South Africa National Defence Forces (SANDF) helicopters and South African Police Service (SAPS) boats to Patrol the border to curb illegal Zimbabwean lmmigration.
Illegal immigrants have been put on notice with immediate effect. The SANDF will be deploying its helicopters to hover over the Limpopo river and the SAPS will be on surface, in boats. The Home Affairs Minister representative Mr Aaron Motsoaledi was at the Beitbridge border where he says dozens of Zimbabweans were trying to make their way illegally into South Africa.
Some of the individuals who entered illegally from Zimbabwe were taken into police vehicles and were deported back to Zimbabwe via the Beitbridge border. The illegal border jumpers did not have the proper documents and they did go through Covid-19 tests on-site that are systematically conducted at the border.
Motsoaledi also addressed the issue of fraudulent Covid-19 certificates being used by immigrants. Due to the requirement to have negative Covid-19 certificates before entering the border, unscrupulous people are fraudulently producing fake certificates being sold by bus operators.
“I’m giving an instruction, that person cannot be allowed in just by bringing a document with a negative test. They must be returned. He is a fraudster, you can’t just come with a fraudulent document. The country who is trying to enter your country with a fraudulent document is undermining your sovereignty.
While stringent measures are being imposed on the Beitbridge border, many cross the crocodile-infested Limpopo river illegally.
“On Monday, the army is going to use helicopters to survey the borders. SAPS has borrowed boats because some of them are even using boats to cross the river,” said the minister.
