36 undocumented Malawians found hiding at the back of a truck, could face deportation
A truck driver and three of his co-drivers are set to appear in court after 36 undocumented Malawian nationals were found hiding in the back of a truck last Thursday, 28 March.
POLOKWANE – Members of the Traffic Department who conducted a stop-and-go operation on Thursday, made the discovery. Traffic Officer Vorster Senyolo told BONUS that at around 08:00, he saw a truck driver trying to avoid being pulled over by taking an earlier turn-off.
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“I decided to follow the truck as I suspected something was amiss.”
The vehicle had no number plate and was found to be unroadworthy. Senyolo, inspecting the back of the truck, found the 36 passengers hiding.
“I got on to the back of the truck wanting to investigate the cargo and those passengers were hiding under some water bottles. We impounded the vehicle and the drivers, as well as passengers, were detained,” Senyolo.
The driver of the truck, whose name is known to BONUS, said they were heading for Johannesburg.
“In our country there is no work and there is no way to make a living so I brought these people here to visit Johannesburg and if they are lucky, they can find some work and make money.”
He was bold in saying the truck had been stopped previously and the passengers were detained, but they were later released and they continued their journey, ” no one will stop us”.
In total 40 people were detained including three women and four children between the ages of 10 and 14.
The owner and driver of the truck was charged with illegally transporting passengers and driving without a driver’s licence while driving an unlicensed vehicle that was not roadworthy. It was also found that the vehicle had stolen licence discs.
Some passengers had the necessary documents, and were subsequently released, while the rest will face deportation.
Last year, a truck driver was arrested for bribery and transporting 87 illegal immigrants, also from Malawi, in the back of a truck. They were heading for Durban. The discovery was also made during a stop-and-go traffic operation.
