140 000 Zimbabweans sent home

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Harare - Authorities in South Africa and Botswana deported more than 140 000 Zimbabweans in 2006, a newspaper report on Friday quoted police records as saying.

According to the records, a total of 109 532 Zimbabweans were deported from South Africa in 2006.

That represented 300 people a day, most of whom hazarded the crossing of the Limpopo River border with South Africa, which was infested with crocodiles or swollen with dangerous flood waters in the rainy season.

The reports said another 32 264 Zimbabweans were deported from neighbouring Botswana in 2006.

Police spokesperson Trust Ndlovu said: "As police, we are going to double our efforts in border patrols and awareness campaigns aimed at putting an end to illegal migration.

"We encourage people to travel legally as they risk death and prosecution when they engage in border jumping."

Zimbabweans escape intense hardship

The stable economies of Botswana and South Africa, as well as their strong pula and rand currencies were the major attractions for Zimbabweans who wanted to escape intense hardship at home.

Most Zimbabweans were struggling to survive amid hunger, joblessness and the worlds highest rate of inflation of more than 1 200%.

Many of those deported tried to sneak back into South Africa soon afterwards.

The reports said labour ministers from Zimbabwe and SA were seeking ways of facilitating lawful labour migration between the two neighbours.

The International Organisation for Migration had set up a reception centre for Zimbabwean deportees at the Beitbridge border post with SA.

The centre could deal with 6 000 deportees a month. A similar centre was being planned for Zimbabwe's Plumtree Border Post with Botswana.

SA's department of home affairs said the number of illegal Zimbabwean immigrants deported in 2005 was 97 433, but police in Zimbabwe put the figure at only 49 788.

Sapa-dpa

- SAPA