The political unrest in Mozambique is unlikely to be the reason behind the arrest of illegal border crossers at the Lebombo Border on Thursday morning.
This is according to Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Communications and Marketing at the Border Management Authority (BMA), Mmemme Mogotsi.
Speaking to Sunday World about border activity, Mogotsi stated that there was no influx of protestors fleeing into South Africa.
“A little over 70 illegal border crossers were arrested and deported. They were attempting to cross the border without documentation. These included 25 women,” she said.
Border crossing a common occurrence
“We cannot attribute the attempted illegal crossing to the situation in Mozambique. These are [typical] people who want to come to South Africa illegally.”
Mogotsi said Mozambican nationals crossing into South Africa was a common occurrence.
“This is a daily practice, with about 250 Mozambican nationals having legally crossed into South Africa. This while over 700 crossed into Mozambique on Thursday alone,” she said. She added that these figures were lower than usual for this time of the year.
“Last year on December 24, we processed 19,563 individuals at the border. But this year on the same date we only processed 5,526,” Mogotsi explained.
“The statistics for Christmas Day show a similar decline. This as 10,185 people were processed last year, in comparison to 3,973 this year.”
Mogotsi also highlighted OR Tambo International Airport as the busiest port of entry during this period.
OR Tambo Airport was biggest port of entry
“OR Tambo was our biggest port of entry, with 397,468 people processed. This is an increase from 352,837 last year this time,” she said.
The BMA, along with its stakeholders, remain on high alert for any potential fallout from the Mozambican unrest, she said. These stakeholders include Sars, SAPS, and the SSANDF.
Meanwhile, Build One South Africa leader and parliamentarian Mmusi Maimane has called on the South African government to take decisive action in addressing the escalating tensions in Mozambique.
“If you say ‘abahambe’ but you don’t stand up to those who rig elections in SADC, then you don’t even understand what is causing mass immigration into South Africa,” he wrote on X.
“If you say ‘put South Africa first’ but fail to condemn Zanu PF and Frelimo, then you want to put South Africa last.”
The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, expressed deep concern over the situation. He was referring to the violence that erupted following Mozambique’s October 9 general elections.
Over 130 people killed in Mozambique post-election unrest
“The chairperson expresses deep concern at the ongoing violence. This particularly following the pronouncement of the final election results by the Constitutional Council. The violence resulted in scores of people losing their lives,” said the AUC in a statement.
Reports indicate that over 130 people have died in protests since the election results were announced. This number includes at least 21 fatalities in the past week alone.
The violence is linked to allegations of voter fraud. Opposition leaders are disputing the victory of the ruling Frelimo party and its candidate, Daniel Chapo.
Chapo reportedly won with 70% of the vote.
The unrest has escalated due to crackdowns by security forces. Also widespread demonstrations across the country have added to the escalation.