Traffickers dump South Africa-bound immigrants in Zimbabwe
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.
