1,500 Foreign Nationals Leave South Africa Via Beitbridge In 13 Hours

South African border authorities on Thursday processed 1,129 Malawians and 467 Zimbabweans departing the country on government-arranged buses, as a wave of xenophobic violence and anti-immigrant sentiment continues to drive foreign nationals to return home.

All the Malawian nationals were undocumented, while the immigration status of the Zimbabwean nationals was not disclosed.

Michael Masiapato, Commissioner of South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA), said officials processed a total of 1,596 Malawian and Zimbabwean nationals during a 13-hour operation at the Beitbridge Border Post.

“In the early hours of this morning, 17 buses arrived carrying a total of 1 129 Malawian nationals for repatriation,” he said.

“This represents the largest number of Malawian nationals processed by the BMA in a single day as part of a co-ordinated repatriation exercise.”

“The operation required the full mobilisation of BMA personnel, supported by officials from the Department of Home Affairs and SAPS Public Order Policing, to ensure that all travellers were processed in accordance with the applicable immigration laws and established operational procedures.

“All 1 129 Malawian nationals were found to be without any documentation authorising their continued stay in the Republic.

“The Malawian nationals had been issued Emergency Travel Certificates through a collective facilitation process coordinated by the Malawian High Commission to enable their return to their country of origin.”

Masiapato said that, as part of a strict verification process, border guards carried out headcounts before each traveller was handed over to immigration officials.

He said every individual underwent biometric fingerprint verification and was registered on the bulk processing system using details contained in Emergency Travel Certificates issued through the Malawian High Commission.

These measures, he added, were designed to safeguard the integrity of South Africa’s immigration system and ensure accurate accountability throughout the operation.

Masiapato also confirmed that an additional 467 Zimbabweans were processed and cleared through the Beitbridge Port of Entry on the same day.

He further said that between 12 and 17 June, the BMA processed a total of 1,331 Malawian nationals and 254 Zimbabwean nationals for repatriation through Beitbridge.

More: The Herald