It was a New Year party of a different kind when hundreds of people broke through the barriers at the border post between South Africa and Mozambique
HUNDREDS of returning Mozambican workers broke down gates at an unmanned crossing point along the South African/Mozambican border on New Year’s Day and passed unchecked into South Africa.
Witnesses say as many as 1 000 people crossed from Mozambique into South Africa after breaking down five gates at the Komatipoort/ Ressano-Garcia border post. They had waited for hours in the hot sun because there were no immigration officials.
A Department of Home Affairs spokesman said the gates on the South African side were closed early on New Year’s Day and Christmas Day because of a Mozambican government decision to close the gates at noon. “As it would be senseless to keep the South African immigration officers on duty the whole day while no traffic was possible due to the closure by Mozambique, the officers were withdrawn and an officer kept on standby for emergency purposes.” Technically, everyone who crossed the border, even those with valid passports and visas, are now illegal.
A witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, arrived at about 3pm at the crossing where a long queue of buses, taxis, bakkies and private cars had formed. Some people were sleeping on camp beds under the buses, while others rested in the shade.
“There were more men than women. The ones walking — about 300 to 400 people — I suspect were illegal immigrants. They were not in my opinion South Africans. They came looking for work. They were carrying nothing or sports bags.” The witness saw a group of about 30 men threatening and manhandling a Mozambican official in the parking lot of the Mozambican immigration checkpoint.
“We understand the immigration officers had gone drinking somewhere. The men manhandling the official were very angry.” The official was made to break the padlocks on the two gates on the Mozambican side.
Meanwhile a white man, who was heard speaking Afrikaans, jumped both gates and tried to roll open the gate in the electrified fence. About 50 others joined in and succeeded.
A pickaxe was used to break the padlock on the fourth gate, which is the first on the South African side. A black gatekeeper out of uniform opened the second gate on the South African side — the fifth and final gate at the border crossing.
“I don’t know if they intimidated him to open the gate, but he did have the key … The vehicles just went past him,” the witness said.
“It took about an hour to break the gates. Throughout this, cheers were raised. People were euphoric. It was noisy. As people were milling around the area, Mozambican boys started selling beers to the people. It was like a carnival.” The vehicles sped through the crossing point once all the gates were opened.
“It was just a rush. One man was even left behind with his money and luggage still on the bus. Nobody stopped at the South African immigration post. People were just running and driving straight past.” In the late afternoon, a green BMW with two white male passengers drove from a nearby housing complex on the South African side.
“They drove very fast towards the gates, checking the locks, and then swung them closed. They stopped at the immigration building and went inside, but spent no more than five minutes there. We tried to speak to them as they came out, but they said, `Our offices are closed. We closed the gates at 4pm’ and then drove off.”
They refused medical attention to a man who had cut his hand while trying to retrieve car keys which he had locked inside his vehicle during the long wait. The man and his two women travelling companions, however, were allowed to pass through the final gate.
The witness was refused passage and told by the gatekeeper to speak to the men who had earlier visited the gates in the green BMW.
“We took our passports and went to the house where the green BMW was parked, knocked on the door and waited for about 10 minutes. No one came out and we went back to the car which we had left at the gatekeeper’s hut.” An elderly couple had emerged from one of the houses and inspected the gates. When approached for help, the man said he could not do anything, but after a brief conversation with the gatekeeper, the gate was opened.
“As we were waiting a group of about 30 men and a pregnant woman walked through the unlocked border gates. They asked us for a lift to Nelspruit.” Eventually “the gatekeeper opened his gate to let through all people who were on foot. He finally opened the gate further so we could also pass,” the witness said.
The Department of Home Affairs will formally inform the Mozambican government of the consequences of its decision to close the gates early.