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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
South African government will be deporting 1,350 Zimbabwean illegal immigrants starting today when the first batch of 440 people is expected to arrive by bus in Zimbabwe, an official has said.Zimbabwe’s Consul-General to South Africa, Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro, said a further 800 will be deported by rail starting from Tuesday next week.

He said 1,350 Zimbabwean illegal immigrants are holed up at the Lindelani Repatriations Holding Centre in Johannesburg awaiting deportation.

Mukonoweshuro said the neighbouring country reintroduced the deportation of illegal immigrants by train as a way of cutting down on costs and decongesting Lindelani Repatriations Holding Centre.

“We have completed the documentation of 1,350 Zimbabweans at Lindelani Centre who are now due for repatriation. The first batch of 440 will arrive in Zimbabwe tomorrow in a convoy of eight buses while a further 800 will leave Johannesburg by train for Beitbridge on Tuesday next week.

“We appreciate the need to cut costs by the host government in terms of transporting immigrants to their respective countries. Last week they sent a larger group to Mozambique by rail,” he said.

South Africa stopped deporting immigrants by train a decade ago and has been using buses and trucks ever since.

Thousands of immigrants from different countries across the world are holed at the Johannesburg holding centre.

The centre popularly known as Lindela is one of South Africa’s largest facilities for the holding of undocumented migrants, most of whom will be awaiting determination of their legal status in South Africa or deportation.

Deportees are repatriated and transported by Home Affairs Ministry, almost on a daily basis, to border posts or the OR Tambo International and Lanseria Airports.

Mukonoweshuro said those who will be deported by train will be accompanied by more than 150 South African officials who include the police and home affairs officials.

The train, he said, will leave the deportees at the Beitbridge railway station which is adjacent to the reception and support centre where the immigrants are handed over to the Zimbabwean authorities.

Mukonoweshuro said the move to deport people by train was arrived at after the ongoing operation “Fiela” (clean-up) netted a number of several illegal immigrants.

The operation was mooted by the South African government as a direct reaction to the wave of xenophobia-motivated attacks targeting African immigrants which broke out in Durban and Johannesburg.

Operation “Fiela” is being jointly implemented by the police, the army and immigration authorities.

“Most of those being deported have either overstayed or have no proper travelling documents while close to 100 have completed serving prison terms for various offences.

“As the consulate we want to urge our people to always travel legally. We’re very concerned at the increasing number of people who travel with undocumented children. This problem does not affect the child only but a whole lot of people. We have a challenge in documenting these children” said Mukonoweshuro.

It is reported that the South African government spends close to R90 million in deportations per year and that it costs R558 and R99 for them to deport and accommodate one person per day respectively.