73 Malawians intercepted

THE national security task force has intercepted an intercity bus carrying 73 undocumented Malawians who were on their way to South Africa through an alleged illegal exit point along the Limpopo River.

The bus was busted 10km outside Beitbridge town on Tuesday evening at a security checkpoint along the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway.

The illegal migrants have been taken into police custody pending further investigations and appearances in court.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident last night, but could not give further details.

“The matter is still under investigation. We cannot give you too many details at this stage,” he said.

However, sources close to the case said the group entered the country illegally and then boarded the intercity bus in Harare which took them to Beitbridge.

“They were intercepted during routine security checks, just before getting into Beitbridge town,” said the source.

Of late, there has been a marked increase in syndicates transporting Malawian immigrants into Zimbabwe via the Nyamapanda Border Post.

Soon after entering the country, the migrants are transported in haulage trucks or local intercity buses to Harare before connecting to Beitbridge.

Some are dropped off at Lutumba Business centre, 18km north of Beitbridge town while others are left at service stations in the border town.

They are then transported to various illegal crossing points along the Limpopo River and skip the border to South Africa.