MORE than 35 000 undocumented migrants have been repatriated and deported through the Beitbridge Port of Entry since government intensified its migration operations earlier this month.
Acting Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner Major-General David Chilembe gave the update at the Beitbridge border in Musina on Wednesday, saying the operation has been running around the clock following the closure of the Durban repatriation centre.
Chilembe said the border post is now handling three key operations, deportations, voluntary repatriations and the normal movement of people and goods.
“Since we started here from the 7th, when the President announced the measures that we have to put in place with regards to the migration issues, we have dealt with more than 35 000 people that we have repatriated and deported through this border post,” he said.
He revealed that 2 400 migrants were processed on Tuesday alone, including 1 700 Malawian nationals and about 700 Zimbabweans.
Chilembe said authorities are facing delays in returning Malawian nationals because the Malawian government has to receive them after they transit through Zimbabwe.
“The Malawian authorities seem as if they are being overwhelmed by the high numbers of people that are crossing,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Chilembe said buses continue arriving at the border and officials are ready to process everyone.
He said temporary shelters, food and medical services have been put in place to assist migrants while they wait to be transported.
“It’s very accommodating because we have marquees that we have erected there. Whenever they are there they are able to be fed and we’ve got medics that are dealing with medical issues,” he said.
Chilembe added that every person is screened and fingerprinted before leaving South Africa to ensure citizens are not mistakenly deported and to identify suspects trying to evade criminal prosecution.
“We don’t want a situation where we repatriate South Africans to Malawi. That’s why we are verifying everybody’s citizenship,” he said.
He also announced that a new holding facility has been established near the border to streamline the repatriation process for Zimbabwean and Malawian nationals.
Meanwhile, the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Migration is expected to visit repatriation centres across the country to monitor operations and receive progress reports from officials on the ground.
The Beitbridge Port of Entry remains the busiest repatriation hub following the relocation of operations from Durban.
