The South Africa National Defence Forces (SANDF) helicopters and South African Police Service (SAPS) boats will patrol the border with Zimbabwe to curb illegal immigration.
Illegal immigrants have been put on notice as the SANDF will be deploying helicopters to hover over the Limpopo river and the SAPS will be in boats, according to the Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.
Motsoaledi was at the Beitbridge border where he saw dozens of Zimbabweans trying to make their way illegally into South Africa.
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Some of the country who entered illegally from Zimbabwe were taken into police vehicles and were deported back to Zimbabwe via the Beitbridge border. The illegal border jumpers did not have the proper documents and they did not perform Covid-19 tests on-site conducted at the border.
Motsoaledi also addressed the issue of fraudulent Covid-19 certificates being used by immigrants. Due to the requirement to have negative Covid-19 certificates before entering the border, unscrupulous people are fraudulently producing fake certificates being sold by bus operators.
“I’m giving an instruction, that person cannot be allowed in just by bringing a document with a negative test. They must be returned. He is a fraudster, you can’t just come with a fraudulent document. The country who is trying to enter your country with a fraudulent document is undermining your sovereignty.
While stringent measures are being imposed on the Beitbridge border, many cross the crocodile-infested Limpopo river illegally.
“On Monday, the army is going to use helicopters to survey the borders. SAPS has borrowed boats because some of them are even using boats to cross the river,” said the minister.
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