‘It’s the only way’: Migrants, army face-off along S Africa-Zimbabwe border

Musina,
South
Africa
– Every
day,
Fadzai
Musindo
walks
across
the
border
between
Zimbabwe
and
South
Africa
–
sometimes
via
the
official
border
post
but
usually
by
taking
the
more
dangerous
informal
route.

Streams
of
men,
women
and
children
regularly
cross
the
bridge
separating
the
two
countries,
but
for
the
43-year-old
mother
of
three,
it
is
a
necessity
so
she
can
earn
enough
to
fend
for
her
children.

Musindo
works
as
a
“runner”,
physically
carrying
goods
into
Zimbabwe
for
people
who
shop
in
South
Africa
and
need
their
wares
transported
to
the
other
side.
Amid
Zimbabwe’s
ailing
economy
and
scarcity
of
certain
items,
the
job
has
become
popular.

But
using
the
formal
Beitbridge
border
post
presents
more
challenges
and
expenses
than
solutions
for
Musindo.

“I
need
to
save
the
pages
on
my
passport
so
I
can’t
stamp
every
day.
If
I
did
that,
I
would
have
to
buy
a
passport
every
year,
I
can’t
do
that,”
she
said,
determined
to
put
off
paying
the $150
fee for
a
replacement
travel
document
for
as
long
as
possible.

So
to
make
it
across
to
South
Africa
and
back,
Musindo
walks
to
the
banks
of
the
Limpopo
River,
one
of
the
largest
in
Africa,
where
groups
of
young
men
known
as
goma-gomas
smuggle
people
over
for
a
small
fee.

The
crossing
is
technically
illegal,
and
dangerous
–
with
irregular
migrants
at
risk
of
being
raped
or
robbed.
But
Musindo
says
she
walks
with
other
women
to
avoid
the
risks.

“If
we
walk
as
a
group,
nothing
will
happen
to
us
because
we
are
many,”
she
explained
about
her
daily
journeys
made
with
a
bundled-up
cloth
on
her
head,
carrying
groceries
and
household
items
for
her
clients.
“People
don’t
bother
us
because
we
work
here
every
day.
The
soldiers
know
who
we
are
so
when
they
see
us
passing,
they
let
us
go,”
she
claimed.

Once
across,
Musindo
uses
the
legal
walkways.
But
through
the
bush
and
across
the
crocodile-infested
Limpopo,
the
5km
(3-mile)
stretch
is
uncertain
terrain.
The
goma-gomas
promise
they
can
evade
the
police
and
soldiers
patrolling
the
bushes
along
the
river,
but
since
South
Africa’s
army
(SANDF)
launched
a
new
border
safeguarding
operation
last
year,
many
are
more
worried
than
before.

On
patrol

Deployed
under
the
SANDF’s
Operation
Corona,
groups
of
soldiers
with
rifles
in
hand,
patrol
along
the
233km
(145-mile)
Limpopo
border
on
the
lookout
for
smugglers
and
people
crossing
illegally.

On
a
patrol
in
late
November,
the
soldiers
camouflaged
themselves
in
the
surrounding
grassland,
waiting
to
see
who
would
cross.

Eventually,
two
young
men
passed
by,
leading
a
group
of
three
women
and
a
child
through
the
bush;
not
far
behind,
a
few
more
young
men
followed
their
bush
guides
into
South
Africa.

But
as
the
soldiers
appeared
from
the
tall
grass,
the
young
men
ran
away,
leaving
the
group
at
the
army’s
mercy.

A
pregnant
woman
was
caught
and
taken
into
custody
by
the
soldiers.
The
mother
of
the
young
boy
managed
to
flee
back
to
the
no
man’s
land
between
Zimbabwe
and
South
Africa,
but
her
son
and
friend
were
apprehended
and
made
to
sit
on
the
surrounding
rocks
until
a
car
came
to
escort
them
to
the
border.

For
those
who
ran
away
on
foot,
Major
Shihlangoma
Mahlahlane,
who
leads
the
joint
technical
operation
for
Operation
Corona,
explained
that
the
SANDF
cannot
pursue
them.

“In
the
middle
of
the
river,
it’s
no
man’s
land
that’s
where
it
divides
Zimbabwe
and
South
Africa
so
when
we
chase
them
away
they
know
we
can’t
do
anything,”
Mahlahlane
said.

“We
need
to
stop
and
come
back
otherwise
we
will
engage
with
the
Zimbabwean
authorities.
There
is
nothing
we
can
do
about
it.”

The
enhanced
border
operation,
which
began
in
September
and
will
run
until
the
end
of
April,
covers
South
Africa’s
borders
with
Botswana,
Mozambique
and
Zimbabwe.

The
SANDF
says
since
it
started,
fewer
undocumented
travellers
have
been
taking
the
risk
of
crossing
through
informal
means,
even
though
smuggled
goods
remain
a
problem.
However,
many
still
take
a
chance.

Technical
challenges
for
law
enforcement
have
also
created
opportunities
for
smugglers.
In
2020,
a
40km
(25-mile)
fence
was
erected
between
South
Africa
and
Zimbabwe
at
a
cost
of
$2.1m
–
but
sections
have
since
been
cut.
Despite
efforts
to
reinstall
the
boundary,
there
are
gaping
holes
in
the
stretch
of
barbed
wire.
A
holey
fence,
combined
with
a
seasonally
dry
river
allows
people
to
brave
crossing,
officials
say.

Causing
‘distress’

Across
Limpopo’s
sandy
banks
at
night,
the
goma-gomas
light
fires
to
keep
warm
and
send
signals
to
other
crossers
about
where
to
come
and
wait.
They
bide
their
time
until
the
next
chance
to
make
the
crossing
with
more
people
emerges.

But
those
taken
into
custody
by
the
army
face
a
different
fate.
Immigration
officials
will
send
them
back
to
Zimbabwe,
but
Major
Mahlahlane
fears
that
even
if
they
get
deported,
they
may
come
back
again
in
the
hope
of
seeking
better
opportunities.

“Pregnant
women
cross
into
South
Africa
and
after
they
give
birth
they
try
to
have
their
child
registered
as
a
South
African,
so
they
can
try
to
obtain
the
child
grant,”
he
said.

But,
while
public
hospital
facilities
in
South
Africa
are
far
better
than
those
in
Zimbabwe,
accessing
the
monthly
grant
of
530
rand
($29)
per
child
in
South
Africa
is
not
an
automatic
process
even
for
single
South
African
mothers.

The
South
African
Border
Management
Authority
(BMA),
set
up
in
April
2023
to
improve
border
control,
has
deported
and
arrested
more
than
410,000
people
at
different
sites
since
a
new
coalition
government
came
to
power
in
May
last
year.
The
government,
made
up
of
11
parties
that campaigned on
curbing
migration,
has
promised
to
speed
up
deportations
as
some
cases
take
months
to
resolve.

However,
Loren
Landau,
a
professor
at
the
African
Centre
for
Migration
and
Society
at
the
University
of
Witwatersrand
in
Johannesburg,
which
produces
academic
research
on
migration
trends
across
the
continent,
cautions
that
the
fast-track
removals
of
irregular
migrants
could
create
other
problems.

“Part
of
the
BMA’s
mandate
is
to
ensure
people
move
out
of
South
Africa
quickly
and
when
they
are
deported
quickly
they
don’t
have
access
to
social
workers
or
lawyers,
families
get
separated
and
it
causes
more
distress.

“Often
people
come
back
and
instead
of
using
the
trusted
routes
people
tend
to
go
underground
which
could
be
far
more
dangerous
for
vulnerable
people
and
minors,”
Landau
told
Al
Jazeera.

A
bus-to-bus,
car-to-car
operation

On
the
other
side
of
the
Limpopo,
the
Zimbabwean
government
has
launched
a
crackdown
on
smugglers
and
illicit
goods
brought
in
by
buses,
private
cars
and
trucks.

According
to
Tafadzwa
Muguti,
the
secretary
for
presidential
affairs
and
devolution,
a
task
force
which
includes
the
Zimbabwe
Revenue
Authority
(ZIMRA),
immigration
and
the
police
will
search
all
vehicles
crossing.

Anyone
who
cannot
account
for
their
goods
will
have
them
confiscated
and
penalties
for
those
who
contravene
import
regulations.

He
said
the
operation
intensified
over
the
recent
festive
season,
“a
period
when
smuggling
activity
often
peaks
as
Zimbabwean
expatriates
returning
home
are
known
to
bring
goods
that
evade
customs
duty,
exacerbating
the
challenges
faced
by
local
manufacturers”.

The
Beitbridge
border,
one
of
Africa’s
busiest,
sees
more
than
13,000
travellers
and
more
than
400
buses
crossing
daily.
Alongside
the
regular
movement,
people
and
goods
are
smuggled
in
and
out
of
South
Africa
daily.

ZIMRA
estimates
Zimbabwe
has
lost
up
to
$1bn
in
undeclared
import
revenue,
so
the
tax
agency
officials
search
each
border
transporter.
But
the
operation
has
caused
lengthy
delays
at
the
busy
border,
frustrating
those
travelling
for
the
festive
season.

Always
another
way

For
Musindo,
however,
the
border
operation
has
meant
further
delays
to
her
work
as
a
runner,
as
it
has
cut
off
the
possibility
of
using
faster,
alternative
means
to
make
the
crossing.

“When
it’s
like
this,
I
can
wait
more
than
five
hours
in
the
queue
[at
the
border
post]
with
someone’s
luggage;
on
some
days
it
can
be
even
longer,
so
even
though
the
border
can
be
full
with
people,
in
a
day
I
can
get
200
rand
[$11]
if
I’m
lucky
to
carry
for
two
customers,”
she
lamented.

Being
stuck
in
long
queues
can
be
frustrating
for
travellers,
but
for
Musindo,
waiting
for
hours
while
people
wade
through
the
queues
to
get
their
passports
stamped
means
she
earns
less
money
as
more
time
is
spent
waiting.
Though
crossing
via
the
Limpopo
River
is
riskier,
it
takes
just
45
minutes,
she
says.

Aware
of
the
dangers,
Musindo
does
not
always
use
the
informal
route
but
says
when
the
border
is
full,
she
can
go
back
and
forth
across
the
river
three
times
a
day,
instead
of
only
once
at
the
official
post.

“It’s
better
when
there
are
no
delays,
I
get
much
more
[money];
but
for
now
there
is
no
other
way,”
she
explained.

Meanwhile,
in
the
bushes
of
the
Limpopo,
more
South
African
forces
are
on
patrol,
clamping
down
on
movement.

“Because
the
river
is
dry,
people
are
exploiting
the
gaps.
They
will
not
focus
on
the
point
of
entry,
but
they
would
rather
come
and
exploit
a
gap,”
said
Major
Mahlahlane.
At
times,
the
river
is
seasonally
dry
and
more
so
due
to
the
drought,
but
the
onset
of
the
rains
has
not
deterred
people.

He
added
that
the
army
is
not
concerned
about
Zimbabweans
who
are
in
South
Africa
legally.
“There
will
be
more
security
forces
along
the
border
…
but
we
are
focusing
on
illegal
activity.”

Some
South
African
villages
along
the
Limpopo
River
are
also
complicit
in
the
illegal
ferrying
of
goods
using
donkey
carts,
he
said.
Cigarettes
are
common
contraband
that
goes
into
the
South
African
market.
The
steep
import
levies
charged
by
South
Africa
make
smuggling
a
lucrative
option
for
those
looking
to
evade
duties.
Since
Operation
Corona
began,
more
than
8
million
rand
($500,000)
worth
of
cigarettes
have
been
seized
along
border
settlements,
officials
said.

‘The
issue
is
not
at
the
border’

However,
permanently
clamping
down
on
illicit
trade
could
be
difficult
for
South
Africa
as
the
runners
and
goma-gomas
who
have
crossed
the
river
route
for
decades
could
find
other
paths.

“Whenever
we
invest
in
more
border
security
there
is
a
race
with
smugglers,
the
more
we
securitise,
the
more
sophisticated
people
become
in
getting
their
goods
across,
they
will
always
find
other
means,”
Landau
told
Al
Jazeera.

Reducing
irregular
migration
in
the
long
term
requires
a
multifaceted
approach,
according
to
James
Chapman,
head
of
advocacy
at
the
Scalabrini
Center,
a
non-profit
organisation
that
protects
migrants
and
refugee
rights.

“Border
management
requires
a
sustainable,
multipronged
approach
…
in
a
manner
that
is
in
keeping
with
fundamental
human
rights
and
South
Africa’s
legal
framework.”

However,
Landau
maintains
border
control
is
a
political
issue,
with
xenophobia
having
spurred
waves
of
attacks
on
foreigners
in
the
past.
He
argues
the
main
challenge
is
not
migration,
but
the
state
of
South
Africa’s
poor
urban
areas.

“A
long-term
solution
depends
on
what
the
problem
is
and
where
it
is,
the
issue
is
not
at
the
border,
the
problem
is
in
the
cities,
in
townships
that
have
been
overtaken
by
criminal
gangs
and
addressing
that
issue
is
key,”
he
said.

Crime
and
inequality
are
pervasive
issues
in
post-apartheid
South
Africa
and
in
marginalised
communities,
African
foreigners
are
often
the
target
of
public
frustration.

Despite
the
xenophobic
backlash,
many
Africans
still
see
the
continent’s
most
industrialised
economy
as
their
potential
path
to
a
better
life.

Despite
army
patrols
heightened
along
Limpopo’s
sandy
marshes
and
the
high
risk
of
being
caught
as
an
undocumented
person,
with
the
start
of
another
year,
new
groups
of
Zimbabweans
are
considering
going
to
South
Africa
to
escape
their
country’s
economic
woes.

Meanwhile,
for
daily
border
workers,
Musindo
feels
taking
a
chance
to
cross
under
the
bridge
is
better
than
waiting
in
the
long
queues
that
cut
down
the
amount
of
money
she
is
able
to
earn
for
her
family.

“I
need
to
work
as
much
as
I
can
because
in
January
my
children
need
to
go
back
to
school.
The
soldiers
might
try
to
stop
people,
but
what
can
I
do?
This
is
the
only
way
I
can
use,”
she
said,
before
disappearing
back
into
the
moving
crowds.