President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said he supports the United States government’s decision to deport over 500 undocumented Zimbabweans residing illegally in the country.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Mnangagwa said:
<blockquote>
The Government of Zimbabwe supports the United States Government’s decision to repatriate and return our Zimbabwean citizens who may have been residing in the US illegally.
</blockquote>
It is estimated that approximately 545 Zimbabweans are currently living in the United States illegally.
This figure is part of a larger group of undocumented immigrants who have been ordered to leave the country.

Pindula News

President Mnangagwa said he supports the United States sending back more than 500 Zimbabweans living there illegally. He thinks it's okay for them to be deported. Around 545 Zimbabweans are in the United States without permission. This is just a small part of all the undocumented immigrants who have been told to go back to their home country.

Mnangagwa Supports The Deportation Of Undocumented Zimbabweans From United States

South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) says it has stopped 410 000 people attempting to enter the country illegally since the deployment of the first cohort of the border guards in July 2022.
Briefing journalists on Monday on the entity’s festive season preparation, BMA commissioner Michael Masiapato said that the majority of those were arrested, fingerprinted, declared undesirable for a period of five years, and deported. He added:
<blockquote>
Further, we have been able to detect about 312 high-value vehicles which were meant to illegally exit the country to other jurisdictions in the continent.
In this regard, the matters were handed over to SAPS detectives for further investigations.
</blockquote>
Masiapato also said the BMA will start using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to improve security at the country’s borders. He said:
<blockquote>
Whilst awaiting the delivery of our drones, in this festive season we have forged a partnership with the Department of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development which will be deploying their drones to assist us with an enhanced level of border security and domain awareness at problematic vulnerable segments, the ports and the corridors.
Drone operations will be supported by mobile reaction units which would be situated at, or closer to, the ports of entry to allow for quick reaction and apprehension of illegal migrants and other cross-border criminals.
</blockquote>
He reminded all travellers leaving and or entering South Africa to ensure that all their travel documents are in order. Said Masiapato:
<blockquote>
As required by international protocols, all travellers should be in possession of a valid machine-readable passport and a valid visa where applicable.
Furthermore, travellers are reminded that their passports should have at least one empty page in order to enable the BMA immigration team members to accordingly stamp the passports as required.
This message is also relevant during the return leg in January 2025 as all travellers are expected to present themselves at the designated ports of entry to enter South Africa.
As for those wishing to cross the border using financed vehicles, they should be in possession of a letter from their financing institution authorising them to exit the country with the vehicle.
</blockquote>
Parents wishing to travel with minor children have been advised to have the child’s unabridged birth certificate with them, unless the child’s details are endorsed in the parents’ passport. Said Masiapato:
<blockquote>
In cases where one parent is traveling with a child in the absence of another parent, a consent letter from the absent parent granting permission to the other parent to exit the country with the child will be required.
This requirement is mainly applicable to South Africans intending to exit the country with children. 
Considering the expected high volumes in this festive period, we would like to appeal to all travellers to plan their travel early and exercise patience on the roads towards ports.
</blockquote>
Masiapato also said that the BMA will be deploying 69 additional personnel at selected busiest ports of entry to assist with the delivery of services and provision of technical support to the regular staff members.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

South Africa blocked 410,000 people from entering illegally since July 2022. They were arrested, fingerprinted, and deported. They also stopped high-value vehicles from leaving illegally. Drones will be used for security at the borders. Travelers must have valid passports and visas, and parents with children must have birth certificates or consent letters. 69 more personnel will be deployed at busy ports. They want travelers to plan early and be patient. The goal is to keep the borders safe and secure.

South Africa's Border Guards Blocks 410,000 Illegal Entries Since 2022

A Zimbabwean bus driver abandoned his vehicle and 78 passengers during a stop and search operation in Moretele in the North West, South Africa on Wednesday.
The Department of Community Safety and Transport said immigration officials established that all of the passengers were undocumented Zimbabweans, reported <a href="https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/bus-driver-flees-during-north-west-police-roadblock-abandoning-78-undocumented-passengers-20240111">News24</a>.
The bus was en route to Johannesburg when officers stopped it on the R101 on Wednesday. The driver fled on foot.
Department of Community Safety and Transport Management spokesperson Tshegofatso Lucas Mothibedi said that traffic police handed the case over to the police.
The police took the passengers to the Makapanstad police station to verify their documents before impounding the vehicle.
Immigration officials established that all the passengers including the driver were undocumented.
Some of the passengers were released and others were taken into custody.
North West Community Safety and Transport Management Member of the Executive Council (MEC) Sello Lehari commended authorities for enforcing the law.
According to a <a href="https://arjess.org/social-sciences-research/causes-of-irregular-migration-of-people-from-zimbabwe-to-south-africa-in-the-post-mugabe-regime.pdf">report</a>, nearly 3.4 million Zimbabweans have migrated to South Africa due to economic hardship, unemployment and political persecution.
A report by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in August 2020 said that hundreds of people cross the border illegally from Zimbabwe into South Africa daily.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwean Bus Driver Abandons 78 Undocumented Passengers At Police Roadblock In SA

Scores of young Mozambican men are eking out a living on the streets of Harare by selling sweets and mobile airtime vouchers.
According to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200021414/mozambican-hustlers-take-over-hre-streets">NewsDay</a>, the Mozambicans, popularly known as mano, which means a boy in the Mozambican language, are driven from their country by limited economic opportunities and civil war.
22-year-old Gabriel told NewsDay that in Mozambique, “there is nothing”. He added:
<blockquote>
Here (in Zimbabwe), I can send money home, and build a future.
</blockquote>
However, “mano” face several challenges on Harare’s streets, which include competition from Zimbabwean vendors and the constant threat of arrest and deportation due to their irregular migrant status.
At times, they are exploited by unscrupulous middlemen and are always at risk of losing their wares and meagre earnings. Said 21-year-old Ricardo:
<blockquote>
Some of the police and municipal police take advantage of us because they know that we have no proper immigration documents.
They sometimes take our stuff. It’s not easy. The competition, sometimes people don’t trust us. But we have to keep going. We have families depending on us.
</blockquote>
However, the language barrier is a minor issue as most of them come from Manica Province where a certain version of the Shona dialect is spoken.
The Mozambicans sell their products to taxi drivers and learners. Tariro Nyatanga, a young office worker in Graniteside Industrial Area, said:
<blockquote>
Their airtime is convenient as they walk around, and their candies brighten my day. They add a bit of vibrancy to the city.
[However], it’s tough for them. They are always looking over their shoulders, worried about getting caught.
</blockquote>
In the evening, the Mozambicans retreat to their lodgings in Mbare, where they share a single bedroom and use a communal kitchen.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Zimbabwe was, in 2021, still home to approximately 8 000 Mozambican refugees and asylum seekers who fled the country due to political instability or for other reasons.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Mozambican Hustlers "Flood" Harare Streets

South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said that the Department cannot account for how many undocumented migrants are in the country.
Motsoaledi made the remarks on Sunday while briefing the media on the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Protection.
He said that the Department of Home Affairs, along with Statistics South Africa cannot fully account for how many foreigners are in the country. Motsoaledi was quoted by <a href="https://ewn.co.za/2023/11/12/no-mechanism-of-knowing-how-many-undocumented-migrants-are-in-sa-motsoaledi">EWN</a> as saying:
<blockquote>
South Africa today is a great place to live, even though some South Africans don’t believe this. No one can account for all the undocumented migrants.
The Department of Home Affairs has no idea as to how many illegal migrants are in South Africa here… because there is no mechanism of knowing.
</blockquote>
Earlier last week, the South African cabinet approved the publication of the White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Protection for public comment.
Motsoaledi also said the establishment of the Border Management Authority (BMA) was not to prevent people from coming into the country. He said:
<blockquote>
People like to misconstrue facts that we established the BMA to stop people from coming into South Africa.
We’re not doing anything of that sort. All we’re doing is that people must come into the country illegally.
All we are doing is, people must come into the country legally. Our problem here is illegality.
The Border Management Authority Act must be reviewed so that we align it with the Immigration, Citizenship Act as a new policy framework, because they were all passed differently at different times, without referral to each other.
</blockquote>
In 2022, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) said that there were 773 246 Zimbabweans in South Africa of which 461 293 were men and 311 953 women.
However, <a href="https://africacheck.org/fact-checks/reports/millions-zimbabweans-living-south-africa-data-doesnt-back-claim">in 2019, Lindiwe Zulu</a>, a member of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), claimed that there were “millions of Zimbabweans living in South Africa”.
Last week, South Africa’s Statistician-General, Risenga Maluleke, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/11/11/shona-is-one-of-the-emerging-languages-in-south-africa-statistician-general-maluleke/">revealed that Shona, a language spoken by the majority of Zimbabweans, has emerged as a new language</a> in Limpopo Province.
Presenting the 2022 Census Report to Premier Stanley Mathabatha in Polokwane, Risenga revealed that Shona is spoken in over 28 000 households in the province.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

South African Government "Has No Idea" How Many Illegal Migrants Are In SA - Minister Motsoaledi

A 22-seater bus travelling from Zimbabwe to Cape Town, South Africa, was intercepted on N1 in South Africa while carrying 36 undocumented Zimbabwean passengers.
Transport spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene said the bus was stopped at around 8 AM last Friday morning along the N1 on the Mashishing and Silicone bypass. Said Chuene in a statement:
<blockquote>
It was later discovered that the overloaded vehicle did not have an operating permit to travel in South Africa and the SAPS and Department of Home Affairs will conduct investigations and verification of the legal travelling documents.
… We call on all foreign drivers to respect the laws of the country and apply for proper documents when entering the country.
</blockquote>
South Africa is currently on a blitz against undocumented immigrants and in the coming months, the neighbouring country is expected to deport thousands of Zimbabweans whose permits were not renewed.

22-seater Zimbabwean Kombi With 32 Undocumented Passengers Impounded In SA

An Ethiopian illegal immigrant in transit to South Africa was reportedly left for dead by his colleagues in Zimbabwe after a car accident.
Tsegaye Summu (28), travelled with others in September and while in Zvishavane, a mining town in Midlands Province, a kombi they had hired was involved in an accident.
The other passengers reportedly escaped unhurt and had to look for alternative transport to proceed with their journey and left Summu by the roadside unconscious.
Summu was taken to Zvishavane Hospital under police guard and later moved to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for better care.
On Friday last week, he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Busani Sibanda charged with entering Zimbabwe without a valid permit.
However, the state couldn’t establish on which date and through which port of entry Summu entered the country.
Summu was fined and awaits deportation from Zimbabwe. | <a href="https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/ethiopian-man-in-transit-to-sa-bust-in-zimbabwe-after-being-left-for-dead-in-road-accident-20230115">News24</a>

Ethiopian Border Jumper In Car Accident Left For Dead In Zimbabwe

Scores of Zimbabwean nationals are among hundreds of migrants who throng street corners and shopping complexes in the uptown commercial and residential areas of Johannesburg’s northern suburbs daily, looking for jobs.
The immigrants, some from Malawi, Lesotho, and Mozambique spends hours waiting for job offers from drivers passing by.
They have to evade police patrols constantly and also risk not being paid when they find work. Samantha Mleya from <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Makokoba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Makokoba</a> in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe told GroundUp:
<blockquote>Police will not get rid of us that easy, this is like a battlefield. We will fight to look after our children.
The bad economic situation in our country does not allow us to stay there. We came to Egoli to look for money. It will not help me to stay at home. l have to come to this spot because it is my only hope to find work.
We live a difficult life here in South Africa. I came to find greener pastures, instead, life is getting harder every day. But it is better than living in Zimbabwe because with a rand l can buy a snack and eat. In Zimbabwe things are expensive.</blockquote>
Most of these job seekers are found at the corner of Pritchard and Post Office streets in Northriding, Fourways Builders’ Warehouse and Decor Park in Randburg.
While some migrants spend weeks and even months without finding work, others say they sometimes land big contracts which have allowed them to take care of their families.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.groundup.org.za/article/precarious-life-undocumented-immigrants-seeking-work/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GroundUp</a></h4>

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