Joint forces nab hundreds of foreigners
Over 300 foreign nationals were apprehended and deported during a special roadblock operation between the SAPS and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
MALALANE – Over 300 foreign nationals were apprehended and deported during a special roadblock operation between the SAPS and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
The round-the-clock operation which was staged simultaneously in Malalane and Komatipoort, started on Sunday January 4, and ended on Monday evening. This was a joint operation between the two agencies, and was under the leadership of Lt Col Mathidiso Mlambo of the Malalane SAPS and Maj Gen Moabela of the SANDF.
According to the spokesman for the Malalane SAPS, Sgt Bheki Nkosi, the main purpose of the roadblock was to intercept foreign nationals who manage to skip the border line.
“There were no successes other than these, because normally when we stage a roadblock of such a nature, criminals tend to inform one another. The target of the SANDF was to identify and intercept the people who were slipping through the border line,” Nkosi said.
According to Nkosi over 135 foreign national were apprehended and detained on the first day of the roadblock. A further 106 were apprehended on the final day of the operation, in total 241 intercepted. All the immigrants were handed over to the Komatipoort Department of Home Affairs.
“Of the 241 foreign nationals who were detained, 191 are believed to be Mozambique nationals, and 50 Swazi nationals. All those who were intercepted en route to various locations by taxis, private vehicles, and buses, have been handed over to the Department of Home Affairs in Komatipoort for further investigation,” Nkosi explained.
He added that all vehicles travelling on the N4 were subject to being stopped, and the occupants requested to produce identification. Failure to do so resulted in apprehension.
“No one was excluded from the equation, we were stopping everyone who was coming past Malalane. If you didn’t have any form of identification on your body, and we had reason to suspect that you were of foreign nationality, you were taken in for questioning. Some of those who were taken in have been released after they were able to prove their nationality, and some after close relatives were able to verify their identity,” Nkosi added.
According to Nkosi, it is advisable for anyone travelling, especially if they may be passing a town such as Komatipoort that borders two countries, to take along their ID, passport, or some identification. In Komatipoort, 137 foreign nationals were arrested and handed over to the Department of Home Affairs, bringing the total number of foreign nationals intercepted to 378.
