The government claims many illegal aliens deported from South Africa are not Zimbabwean citizens - but from other African countries. Zimbabwe is now taking steps to prevent “fake” Zimbabweans entering the country after deportation. The Zimbabwe High Commissioner to South Africa, Simon Khaya-Moyo has embarked on a vetting excercise to ascertain whether illegal immigrants awaiting deportation in Lindela Holding Centre were true Zimbabweans.| Just how desparate do you have to be to want to leave South Africa and enter ... Zim-bob-we? |
After the recent restructuring at the illegal immigrants facility, South Africa has started deporting illegal immigrants to Zimbabwe twice a week and it is estimated that between 600 and 900 Zimbabweans are deported every week from the Lindela repatriation centre west of Johannesburg. South Africa is the destination of choice for illegal Zimbabweans who number around three million, according to recent official estimates.
Mapanga said the deportation of "fake" Zimbabweans has given the country a stereotype in the continent. "We are taking this process seriously because it is depicting a wrong image about our country”, he said. Conditions in which illegal immigrants are held while in detention are reported to be harsh. Last year, three Zimbabweans, including a pregnant woman, died while in detention at Lindela.
It is said despite being deported, border jumpers quickly found their way back to South Africa through illegal entry points in Beit Bridge. Most border jumpers approach locals who help them cross the Limpopo River for a fee of between R500 and R800 per individual.