Border officials intercepted 92 minors who were being smuggled through Beitbridge Border Post last year and arrested more than 16 000 people for illegal crossings in the six months to June 2019.
A parliamentary inquiry into the state of border posts said this was indicative of porous borders.
The minors were subsequently referred to the Department of Social Welfare. The findings, which were collated from oral testimonies from Government officials and visits to Beitbridge and Forbes border posts, are contained in a report that was tabled in Parliament last week by chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services, Brigadier-General Levi Mayihlome (Retired).
“The committee noted that the Department (of Immigration) has on record a total of 92 minors whom they had referred to the Department of Social Welfare after being intercepted at Beitbridge Border Post in 2019. In addition, a total of 82 deportations had been effected from January to June. Thus, on average about 15 people being trafficked per month,” said Brig-Gen(Rtd) Mayihlome.
“Statistics submitted to the committee showed that a total of 16 187 have been arrested for illegal crossing from January to June 2019. This is a significant number and it can be quantified that on average 1 350 people are being arrested on monthly basis,” he said.
Security services were reportedly finding it difficult to patrol the country’s border lines because of their vast expanse.
The Zimbabwe-South African border stretches for 255 kilometres, while the border with South Africa extends to 1 231km.
The stretch between Zimbabwe and Zambia covers 797km and the borderline with Botswana is 813km.
However, of the 255km length separating Zimbabwe and South Africa, “border policing is being done in areas covering less than 50km and the remaining area becomes easily accessible for illegal crossing”, Parliament noted. Border officials and law enforcement agents were also poorly resourced and poorly equipped to adequately and meaningfully police both border areas and ports of entry and exit.
For example, ZRP officials deployed to man the areas have not been paid travel and subsistence allowances for the past 12 years, and are owed in excess of US$300 000.
On average, the deployments take more than 30 days.
The report said: “The committee was told that travelling and subsistence allowances were last paid in 2008 . . . Members were dividing their meagre salaries between themselves and their families in order to sustain themselves whilst on deployments at large distances far away from their ordinary places of residence.
“The committee learnt that the Department (of Immigration) did not have vehicles for border patrol operations and currently they are relying on private hire to chase criminals. At Beitbridge Border Post, the committee was informed that currently nine motorbikes were being used to patrol the whole stretch for anti-smuggling along the Limpopo River from Chikwarakwara on the east up to Shashe River . . .”
