There is a rising tide of Zimbabwean immigrants crossing the border into South Africa, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday.
DA home affairs spokesperson Mark Lowe said he and several other DA parliamentarians and local DA councillors had visited the Beitbridge border post and surrounding areas.
Lowe said it was evident from talks with people in the area, ranging from the police to Zimbabweans who fled to South Africa, that there was a growing problem on the border.
”What is abundantly clear is that there has been a dramatic increase in people coming to South Africa illegally and legally.”
He said about 6 000 legal immigrants had been streaming through Beitbridge every day, while on one farm alone, directly adjacent to Beitbridge, about 1 000 Zimbabweans crossed illegally every day.
”We were told that the police have completely lost control of the situation. Neither the government nor home affairs can continue to pretend that the looming catastrophe does not exist,” Lowe said. — Sapa