Zimbabwe November 2006 |
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| Zimbabwe is Africa’s gateway to South Africa, (Zimbabwe Situation, 2006-11-19):-Illegal immigrants from several African countries are using Zimbabwe as their transit point into South Africa, where they seek economic and political refugee status, investigations by The Standard have established. A month-long probe confirmed that local businesspeople had formed a syndicate which facilitates the movement of immigrants past Zimbabwe's borders for a "handsome fee". Most of the immigrants are from politically volatile countries: Eritrea, Somalia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Some are from Angola, Nigeria, Zambia and Malawi, and are trekking down south in search of economic fortunes not easily accessible in their own countries. "It's a regional syndicate, because it involves people in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa." said a local transporter. He was hired two weeks ago to ferry immigrants from Nyamapanda border post to Harare. "The refugees have contact people in the three countries, who facilitate their movements for a fee." The transporter said each immigrant pays between US$200 and US$400 to each contact person. Most of them have no proper travel documents and use illegal crossing points on Zimbabwe's porous border. "Personally, I suspect some of them are fugitives from justice in their own countries, which is why they are using clandestine methods to get into South Africa," said the transporter. Two weeks ago, he said he was hired during the night to ferry 16 immigrants of Eritrean origin from Nyamapanda border post to Harare. They were dropped off at a businessman's house in Belvedere, where they stayed for two nights before continuing their journey down south. "All the travelling is done at night to avoid police detection. But when we meet them (the police) we pay them," said the transporter. "As things stand today, you know no-one would resist the US dollar." While The Standard was still investigating the racket, 15 Somalis were arrested near Kanyemba border post while trying to enter the country. They are now detained while investigations continue. The group was assisted by two Zimbabweans and a Zambian to cross the crocodile-infested Zambezi River. Mashonaland Central police spokesperson Inspector Michael Munyikwa said the police suspected the Somalis were on their way to South Africa. "Preliminary investigations established the 15 suspects crossed into Zimbabwe on 16 October with the assistance of a Zambian, identified only as Joseph," Munyikwa said. Chief police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena said Zimbabwe has, for a long time, had problems with illegal immigrants from central, north and the Horn of Africa. He said the police were working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to address the problem. "This is not a new issue," said Bvudzijena. "We have had this problem for a long time. But refugees should seek asylum in their first country of call, who are their immediate neighbours. Some of them are criminals, while others have military backgrounds. So if we get them, we screen them thoroughly," said Bvudzijena. The Commissioner for Refugees in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Isaac Mukaro, referred all questions on the immigrants to the ministry's permanent secretary, Lancester Museka. "I am too junior," he pleaded. At the time of going to print, Museka had not responded to questions faxed to him. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |