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and refugees seeking to enter into the country.

Most refugees from the north pass through Zimbabwe on their way to South Africa without waiting for a process granting them refugee status.
It is reported that when some of the refugees or illegal immigrants arrive at the border posts, they pretend as if they want to seek refugee status before being allowed into the country. They will not stay in the country for long as they proceed to neighbouring countries.

Some of these border posts, which have since been “closed” are Nyamapanda, Kanyemba, Chirundu, Kariba and Victoria Falls that were being used by people mostly from Somalia and Ethiopia.
Assistant regional immigration officer, Mr Evans Siziba, yesterday confirmed the latest developments. “We are now not accepting such people since they refused to be given refugee status. All along they were coming into the country seeking refugee status before disappearing,” he said.

For the past few years, Mr Siziba said the longest period these refugees stayed in the country was 48 hours before disappearing to neighbouring countries, especially South Africa.
“We, however, realised that they were using this country as a transit to South Africa and were not waiting for the process to be accepted as refugees. That is the reason why we have instructed or ‘closed’ our borders for them not to be accepted,” Mr Siziba said.

For the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of illegal immigrants coming into the country through Nyamapanda border post and other entry points.
Last year in August, an alert bus crew assisted police in Kariba to apprehend 44 illegal Somalis and Ethiopians who were believed to have been on their way to South Africa.
The 23 Somalis and 21 Ethiopians entered Zimbabwe from Zambia through an undesignated point in Kariba and then boarded a Power Coach bus. In September 2008, at least 61 Ethiopians and Somalis surrendered themselves to police at Nyamapanda border post after entering the country illegally.

During the same month, 90 Ethiopians were separately rounded up at Nyamapanda border post. Police arrested the Ethiopians after they were spotted just after passing through an illegal entry point from Mozambique.
Another 47 Ethiopians were arrested before being transferred to Harare Remand Prison for further investigations.

The 47 Ethiopians, who had no documents, were rounded up in Mutoko and Murehwa after they entered the country illegally through Nyamapanda border post.
Over the years, refugees especially from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi had been crossing into South Africa through Zimbabwe.