The huge number of Zimbabweans arrested at the Beitbridge border post for violating immigration laws during the festive season in both Zimbabwe and South Africa is a symptom of a multi-dimensional problem that is crying out for urgent solutions.
According to Zimbabwe’s department of immigration, 3 640 people were arrested in December, for offences ranging from border jumping and touting to the use of fake immigration stamps and forged travel documents.
Four days ago, the South African National Defence Force intercepted 1 174 undocumented Zimbabweans that were trying to gain entry into the neighbouring country through the Groblersbridge border post in Limpopo.
The crowd, which included women and children was arrested a day after Christmas. South African authorities said it was the first time they had to manage such a massive influx during the just ended festive season.
Before Christmas, South Africa’s Border Management Authority had arrested about 500 Zimbabwean nationals that were caught attempting to leave that country illegally while transiting through Botswana.
What is clear from those two incidents is that Zimbabweans are causing serious problems for neighbouring countries because of the high volumes of illegal migration. For that problem alone, Zimbabwean authorities cannot continue pretending that it is business as usual.
It is clear that most Zimbabweans, who want to travel to other countries for better opportunities do not have access to travel documents.
The Zimbabwean passport at US$270 is the most expensive travel document in the region and this is one of the reasons economic refugees will resort to using illegal crossing points to countries such as South Africa and Botswana. President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government must look at ways of ensuring that the travel document is affordable to every citizen who needs it.
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Citizens must not be risking their lives crossing crocodile infested and sometimes flooded rivers because they cannot afford a passport.
The second aspect of the problem is that the high volumes of illegal migration point to the fact that Zimbabwe’s economy is not working for everyone, hence some citizens only see a future in other countries.
Children growing up in some parts of Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North and Masvingo only see illegal migration as the only path out of poverty because there are no opportunities locally.
This cannot be a sustainable way of building communities because even in South Africa opportunities for young people are getting fewer and fewer. We should not be burdening them with our own problems.
Zimbabwe’s leaders must use the statistics of locals being arrested trying to sneak into other countries for survival to reflect on their failed economic policies and strategise to do better.
