Migrants at Beitbridge in Zimbabwe at the border with South Africa.
Human traffickers are dumping illegal immigrants destined for South
Africa in Zimbabwe, as they find it difficult to circumvent tightened
border controls owing to Covid-19 lockdowns. PHOTO | FILE
Frustrated by lockdowns imposed by countries
to slow down the spread of coronavirus, human traffickers are dumping
illegal immigrants destined for South Africa in Zimbabwe at a time the
southern African country is battling to bring the pandemic under
control.
Zimbabwe, a transit country
for immigrants from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Uganda, Malawi and the Horn of Africa region, is already overwhelmed by
the number of its nationals returning from neighbouring countries where
they had sought economic refugee before the outbreak of Covid-19.
The
International Organisation for Migration (IOM) this week said it had
assisted 100 stranded Malawian immigrants return home. The situation had
reached crisis levels, it added.
Some
of the rescued immigrants were abandoned by human traffickers that
found it difficult to circumvent South Africa’s tightened border
controls.
IOM said due to lack of
Covid-19 quarantine facilities in Zimbabwe, when apprehended by law
enforcement agents, undocumented immigrants often ended up in prisons
where they are exposed to coronavirus.
Mario Lito Malanca, the IOM Zimbabwe chief of mission, last Wednesday told The EastAfrican
that in addition to the 100 Malawians, his organisation was in the
process of helping 27 Ethiopians stranded in the southern African
country return home.
They include 12 Ethiopians immigrants that
were found stranded at a Zimbabwean village near the South African
border late in March after they were dumped by human traffickers.
The immigrants could not cross into South Africa after both countries closed their borders to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“Zimbabwe
has been a transit country for migrants from Malawi and the Horn of
Africa heading to South Africa to find work and other economic
opportunities,” IOM said.
“These
irregular migrants were apprehended by the Zimbabwean law enforcement
authorities and were detained for unlawful entry into the country.”
The
dumped immigrants either hand over themselves to the authorities or
find their way back home through Zimbabwe’s porous borders. IOM said
some of the Malawians abandoned by traffickers in Zimbabwe had found
their way back home despite border restrictions to contain the spread of
coronavirus imposed on March 30.
“Some
migrants were abandoned in Zimbabwe by smugglers and traffickers and
remained in the country illegally, while others decided to return to
Malawi after realising the restrictive measures imposed by the
governments of both Zimbabwe and South Africa that impede their
migratory process to their final destination,” IOM added.
“Migrants
going through Zimbabwe to South Africa are affected by a range of human
smuggling and serious human rights violations including sexual abuse,
torture, exploitation, neglect and even death.”
The
repatriated Malawians were tested for coronavirus at the border with
Zimbabwe and those with Covid-19 symptoms were referred to a health
facility for treatment.
They will only be released after they recover from the disease.
Last
week, three Malawians that were held at an isolation centre in the
southern city of Masvingo after they were caught trying to cross into
South Africa, tested positive for coronavirus.
Charles
Kwenin, the IOM regional director for southern Africa, said the closure
of borders had worsened the plight of immigrants from across the
continent that were braving the threats of Covid-19 to seek greener
pastures in South Africa.
At the
onset of the Covid-19 outbreak, South Africa started the construction of
a new fence on its border with Zimbabwe to “stop cross border
infections.”
Mr Kwenin said it was necessary to have a regional response to illegal immigration in the midst of the pandemic.
“Countries in the southern African region have put restrictive measures in place, to fight the spread of Covid-19,” he said.
“Some
of these measures have socio-economic impacts, not only on their
respective vulnerable groups, but also on the migrants, who usually find
themselves on the fringes of society.
“In
this collective endeavour, it is imperative to have a comprehensive and
inclusive approach to national and regional responses to Covid-19, in
order to prevent the spread of the virus.”
Meanwhile,
IOM said between April and May its centres in Zimbabwe had handled
5,400 immigrants arriving from Zambia, Malawi, DRC, Botswana, Mozambique
and South Africa.
It said the influx of the immigrants had added pressure on Zimbabwe’s stretched resources.
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