A strong wave of panic has gripped a huge number Zimbabwean nationals residing in South Africa as the country’s immigration department has intensified document checks under the directives of the recently appointed Home Affairs minister, Leon Schreiber.
The Home Affairs Minister recently announced that his department will increase inspections at various established places which include restaurants, spaza shops, farms, and mines. The inspections are said to be increased by a rate of over 50 per cent.
The main aim by the Home Affairs department is to take enforcement action which include deportations of those found to be employed illegally.
South African immigration officials have also launched strong “door-to-door” searches in parts of Johannesburg, targeting spaza shops and other businesses.
This operation has left undocumented Zimbabweans living in the country with a huge wave of fear that they might be discovered and subsequently deported.
However, it is said there is now a new tendency where people are rounded up at their places of work or residences and taken to police stations where they are asked to pay huge sums of money. These amounts of money are said to be in a range of R3,500 or more.
It now appears now also that migrants are being used by SAPS officials with the officials taking advantage of the operation.
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