South Africa deports 1600 Zimbabweans in one day
By Lance Guma
14 February 2007

Over 1600 Zimbabweans living illegally in South Africa were deported on Tuesday according to press reports. That country’s home affairs department hired 16 coaches to transport the deportees from the Lindela detention centre in Johannesburg through to the Beitbridge border post. Previous deportations have involved the use of trains, which took deportees to Mussina before police trucks picked them up into Zimbabwe. It is thought conditions on the trains were considered inhumane and the use of buses was meant to deflect criticism away from the exercise.

Figures released by police officials indicate that over 109 000 Zimbabweans were deported in 2006, up from the 49 788 recorded in 2005. A further 32 264 are said to have been repatriated from Botswana through the Plumtree border post. The International Office for Migration (IOM) has an office at the border and was involved in processing of the deportees. The organisation provides counselling on safe migration and helps with food and transport expenses for those going home.

Daniel Molokela a coordinator for the Civic Society Organisations (CSO’s) forum based in South Africa said the exercise was a waste of time because it is not addressing the root problems causing Zimbabweans to flee their country. He says it costs the South African government 50 rand per day to keep a deportee in detention and even when deported, most of them immediately jump the border back into South Africa. An economic and political meltdown is largely responsible for a flood of both economic and political refugees to South Africa and analysts warn the regions soft approach towards Mugabe is backfiring.