SCORES of Zimbabweans have been denied passage to South Africa at Beitbridge Border Post after officials on the Zimbabwean side arbitrarily introduced rules requiring travellers to present a South African immigration permit. The requirement was not initiated by South Africa and it is unclear what prompted the decision. The situation has been compounded by the imminent hard lockdown with thousands of travellers seeking to exit before the suspension on general passenger and cross border travel takes effect by midnight today. Most of the travellers arrived at the border by 8pm last night but were not able to cross into South Africa where authorities are implementing a curfew between 9pm and 6am. Even after 6am curfew, travellers without permits or South African passports were barred from proceeding. – Kukurigo & Herald & ZimLive
DESPERATE Zimbabweans attempting to illegally sneak into South Africa for greener pastures face a formidable challenge after the neighbouring country started deploying military personnel and helicopters to maintain surveillance on the Limpopo River. An estimated three million Zimbabweans are said to be domiciled in South Africa, most of them illegally, fleeing economic hardships back home. Most of the Zimbabweans, who had come home for the festive season, are finding their way back to South Africa through illegal entry points. South Africa has reported it was arresting over 500 locals every day for trying to access South Africa via illegal entry points to beat the closure of the borders for the lockdown. – NewsDay
