Nkululeko Sibanda
10 January 2009
Bulawayo — An unprecedented number of Zimbabweans entered South Africa through legal and ungazetted entry points after the festive season, officials at the Beitbridge border post said last week.
Transport operators, including human traffickers popularly known as omalayitsha, recorded brisk business as they helped desperate Zimbabweans without proper travel documents to skip the border.
Immigration officials who spoke to The Standard said the number of people who crossed into South Africa after Christmas was much higher than those who entered Zimbabwe for the holidays.
They said although figures were not readily available the period after Christmas and the first week of this month were unusually busy.
"Those without bus fare made arrangements with relatives in South Africa to pay on arrival," said an immigration official who requested anonymity.
The traffickers charge as much as R1 500 to smuggle people without travel documents.
According to figures released by the South African Home Affairs department, nearly 70 000 people entered the country using the Beitbridge border post in December alone.
Thousands others could be unaccounted for as they enter South Africa by swimming across the crocodile-infested Limpopo, while others bribe immigration officials to go through.
Unions representing civil servants said they feared most of those who escaped to South Africa and other neighbouring countries were their members who have grown tired of Zimbabwe's unending problems.
"The announcement by the South African government that it wants to recruit 94 000 teachers played a significant role in forcing teachers to flee the country," said Raymond Majongwe, the Progressive Teachers' Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general.
"Most of the teachers were hoping that the Zimbabwean political environment would change with the success of the talks.
"Now that all this has failed, teachers have no other option but to seek alternative means of survival, which include seeking employment elsewhere."
Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) secretary-general Tapiwa Bwakura echoed similar sentiments saying workers in the health sector were also rushing to leave the country.
"Our professionals, like other Zimbabweans are finding it difficult to earn a living from their salaries here," he said.
"Nurses, doctors, laboratory technicians, and pharmacists have left the country to find jobs in the region, mainly in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Swaziland."
South Africa, according to reports, now deports more than 4 500 Zimbabweans every week, but most of them quickly find their way back.
A number of Zimbabweans are also eyeing job opportunities accompanying next year's soccer World Cup in the neighbouring country.
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