South Africa January 2006 |
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| No bodies found in Limpopo, (Chronicle, 2006-01-19):-The search for the bodies of 15 suspected border jumpers who are believed to have drowned while trying to cross the flooded Limpopo River into South Africa again yielded no bodies yesterday. The search, which started on Tuesday and stretched for more than six hours, continued with a combined operation involving a police subaqua unit from Bulawayo, the local Civil Protection Unit and the South African police. The search was conducted on both sides of the border, with one team concentrating on the Zimbabwean side, while the other searched the South African side. The leader of the subaqua team, Assistant Inspector Khumbulani Mbano, said they visited two spots along the Limpopo River where the river normally made deposits, but got nothing. “From the point where the people are said to have drowned, we covered a distance of about six kilometres on the Zimbabwean side. “We eventually identified two main deposition points, but there was absolutely no sign of the bodies,” said Asst Insp Mbano. He said the area from which the river made deposits was 400 metres wide. When Chronicle visited the area, there were some 30 suspected border jumpers along the bank, who intended to cross the flooded and crocodile-infested river. Police also picked up two identity cards and a diary believed to have been dropped by the drowned border jumpers. The Officer Commanding Crime in Beitbridge District, Superintendent Bethel Magora, who was on the South African side, said the team visited Tshamutumba Police Station and several farms in that country and interviewed locals. “We tried to conduct some interviews on the South African side to establish facts, but unfortunately we got nothing,” said Supt Magora. On Tuesday the team went further downstream, covering a distance of about 30 kilometres. Meanwhile, a meeting was held later at the Beitbridge District Administrator’s office last night in which all stakeholders resolved to call off the search. The District Administrator for Beitbridge, Mr Loud Ramakgapola, said the river would be kept under surveillance. “Although we failed to retrieve the bodies, we are not ruling out the drowning incident as there is a possibility that some people drowned. “So we will keep the river under surveillance as well as continue to conscientise people of the consequence of crossing flooded rivers,” he said. Mr Ramakgapola also thanked the South African police for their cooperation during the exercise. The 15 are believed to have drowned between Friday and Saturday night. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |