BEITBRIDGE — The Border Management Authority (BMA) is currently processing thousands of migrants for repatriation at the Beitbridge border post and the Musina repatriation centre. Following the President’s announcement of a new repatriation strategy on June 7, the BMA and allied officials have intensified operations to document and return foreign nationals to their home countries.
Unusual activity has been observed at the border post, with extensive queues of buses and trucks typically unseen on a standard weekday. Migrants have been ferried from various inland centers across the country to the Musina repatriation centre before being processed for cross-border movement. The movement of people has been continuous, with migrants crossing over overnight and throughout the weekend.
BMA Assistant Commissioner Dr. Gurusan confirmed the scale of the operations, stating that 25,000 individuals were processed before 06:00 on the previous day. According to Dr. Gurusan, the majority of those processed since the June 7 strategy announcement were Malawian, numbering over 17,000, followed by approximately 5,500 Zimbabweans.
Operations are not limited to this specific border post. Dr. Gurusan noted that other ports are currently processing Ghanaian and Mozambican nationals. Specifically, the Lebombo border post has processed over 1,000 individuals during the same period.
Despite the formal repatriation processes, illegal border crossings remain a challenge. Dr. Gurusan acknowledged that some individuals are attempting to take advantage of the situation by crossing the Limpopo River illegally into South Africa. However, authorities intercepted most of these attempts yesterday. The BMA plans to intensify efforts and deploy additional border guards along the Limpopo River to secure the border line.
To manage the high volume of deportees, the BMA has deployed an additional 20 immigration officers to the Beitbridge port, supplementing the existing skeletal staff. This figure excludes headquarters personnel, including commissioners, who are currently on the ground. Dr. Gurusan indicated that authorities are anticipating up to 150 buses arriving from inland locations. In the event of operational challenges, additional staff will be sourced from nearby ports to augment the current workforce.
On the ground, the high volume of migrants has led to a slower processing rate, resulting in expressed frustration among some foreign nationals awaiting documentation. Nevertheless, the continuous flow of buses and the steady movement of people confirm that migrants are successfully returning to their respective home countries.
