Zimbabwe: Thousands Flock to Beitbridge As South Africa Removes Visa Restrictions

allAfrica.com: Zimbabwe: Thousands Flock to Beitbridge As South Africa Removes Visa Restrictions

Tichaona Sibanda

12 May 2009

The border town of Beitbridge has been besieged by thousands of Zimbabweans taking advantage of the removal of visa restrictions by the South African government.

Last week the Home Affairs ministry signed an agreement with the Government of South Africa to drop visa restrictions for Zimbabwean passport holders traveling into that country.

The deal, signed in Pretoria, permits Zimbabweans entry into South Africa on a 90 day pass basis. This only applies to travelers with valid passports or emergency travel documents.

MDC activist, Solomon Chikohwero, who was visiting the border town of Musina in South Africa, told us there seemed to have been a communication breakdown over the visa issue, as those with just ID cards and birth certificates thought they would be allowed to use them to cross the border.

'The only thing that has changed is the removal of the visa. People will still need passports or ETD's to move across borders. There is congestion at the border as people rush to Messina to buy groceries and other necessities,' Chikohwero said.

Business people in Musina are reporting a flurry of activity as streets are thronged with shoppers from Zimbabwe. It's reported that waves of Zimbabweans are crossing the border on a daily basis, but it is not clear if most of them are temporary shoppers, or are hoping to find work in South Africa. There are concerns that such a mass influx could trigger another round of xenophobic attacks.

The mass cross border movement will inevitably put a strain on South Africa's housing, education and health sectors and South Africans are known to react violently to such pressures.