Criminals help "illegals" cross border

A criminal racket on both sides of the border is helping illegal Zimbabwean immigrants cross into South Africa, a senior army officer told IRIN.

The criminals, known as "Guma-Guma", act as guides to those slipping across the border and into South Africa's Northern Province. They charge around R50 (US $4) per person, and failure to pay can lead to a beating. They can also provide illegal papers for a price.

According to the South African officer, involved in border patrol operations, the Guma-Guma use cellphones to organise transport with mini-bus drivers on the South African side of the Limpopo river. In a series of short hops, the immigrants are transported to the border town of Messina, and from there they travel south to South Africa's major cities looking for work. "Only the very poor walk," the officer said.

South African army patrols net an average of 100 to 200 illegal immigrants a day. In January, 2,600 people were arrested and handed over to the police - a figure lower than last year - the officer said. He noted that increased activity by the Zimbabwean police was likely to have had an impact on the numbers crossing. The border jumpers are eventually deported back to Zimbabwe.

The South African military, through an agreement with Zimbabwe, has the authority to intercept would-be illegal immigrants in what is technically Zimbabwean territory, the officer said. He pointed out that a man found wading in the Limpopo would probably be arrested before he crossed to the South African bank of the river.

Once inside South Africa, the concern of the authorities in the frontier regions is the damage that illegal immigrants can cause to farms and properties. Farmers complain that snares are set and crops damaged as the border jumpers cross their fields.

If political violence in the run-up to Zimbabwe's March presidential election leads to a large influx of asylum seekers, "our first priority will be to look after our own people, the farmers," the officer said. "The Zimbabweans are likely to have been hungry for days, and if they strip the property there is going to be conflict with the farmers."