Illegal immigrants arrested whilst crossing overflowing Limpopo River

Pini Bothoko | Thursday March 6, 2025 13:18

The 15 were seven Bangladesh nationals, four Ethiopians, three Somalis and a Zimbabwean. Machaneng Police Station commander, Superintendent George Mabuta explained law enforcement officers, police and soldiers nabbed the illegal immigrants whilst doing patrols along the Limpopo River. 'Law enforcement officers found them sitting by the river side with wet clothes up to their shoulders,' he said. 'When interrogated by law enforcement officers, they disclosed that they were attempting to cross the border to South Africa illegally through the Limpopo River but couldn't do so as the water level increased and was about to cover their heads when they were in the middle of the river and had to return.' Mabuta said all except the Zimbabwean national had valid passports in their possession, but said they couldn't cross at the border because they failed to process their visas. 'The Zimbabwean man is the mastermind of their journey. He helped them to cross the Zambezi River into Botswana illegally by using a wooden boat (mokoro). 'They had a car that was waiting to pick them up and transport them to another border. On Friday, a silver grey Toyota GD6 was spotted at the Parr's Halt Border Post but couldn't cross as the border is currently closed due to recent floods,' he said.

Mabuta further stated that through their preliminary investigations that they have since established that the same car driven by a Zimbabwean man was later that day spotted at Martin's Drift Border Post and he managed to cross the border. He said they suspect that it is the car that was supposed to pick them after crossing the river. The station commander said they were charged with an offence of entering Botswana through an ungazetted point of entry and also paid an admission of guilt which was P500 each. 'They are currently in police custody and will soon be taken to the Francistown Centre for Illegal Immigrants so that they can process their repatriation,' he said.