S.Africa minister raises concerns about security at Zimbabwe border

In Musina, in northeast South Africa, on the border with Zimbabwe, hundreds of undocumented migrants are preparing to return home following a wave of sometimes violent anti-migrant protests across the country.

Meanwhile, nearby, some people are still seeking to enter South Africa and they do so, braving crocodiles to cross the Limpopo River via wooden rafts, before slipping away into the thorn scrub. This scene highlights how the protests have not deterred everyone.

Some who are on their way home say they plan to return. “So I want to do my paperwork, passport and permit to work and then come back to South Africa, to start life again,” said Munyai Tungamirai.

The authorities say multiple parties must come together to find solutions. "We believe that it is something that requires the entire continent to engage in it," says Michael Masiapato, Commissioner and CEO of the Border Management Authority (BMA).

"Something has to be done urgently" about border security at the Limpopo River border with Zimbabwe, said South Africa's Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, after visiting the area.

"It was shocking...there literally is no border in some places," he said. This comes as undocumented foreign nationals continue to be repatriated to their home countries, following recent anti-migrant protests around the country.

- Open borders -

For border authorities, the steady flow of departures has done little to resolve a longer-term problem of irregular immigration.

Since June 7, more than 46,000 migrants have been repatriated and deported through Beitbridge, most of them Malawians, followed by Zimbabweans, according to Border Management Authority commissioner Michael Masiapato.

Nationally, the number of people who have left exceeds 60,000, he said, with nationals of Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya taking flights organised by their governments.

Yet officials acknowledge many could easily find their way back through informal crossing points scattered along the frontier, even with increased patrols and surveillance technology announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

"It will be a bit of an embarrassment if we do all these activities and all of a sudden people walk back into the country illegally," said border czar Masiapato.

South Africa has 71 ports of entry -- 52 land crossings, 10 international airports and nine seaports -- but vast stretches of its border remain unfenced.

"Because we do not have a physical barrier yet, you cannot guarantee a foolproof no illegal immigration," Masiapato said.

"I suppose that is just the reality, not just for South Africa but the rest of the world."