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Illegals: Police threaten farmers
01/08/2007 22:51 - (SA)
Marietie Louw-Carstens, Beeld
Musina - Farmers are not allowed to carry out citizens' arrests on illegal Zimbabwean refugees who cross the border into South Africa and wander around on their farms, unless they've committed crimes such as rape, robbery or farm attacks.
Limpopo Police Commissioner Calvin Sengani said on Wednesday that Zimbabweans who crossed the borders onto farms were not guilty of any crime.
There had also not been an increase in the number of "border prowlers", he said.
However, Beeld was assured by police officers at the town and at the Beit Bridge border post that there had been a considerable increase in the past month.
Sengani said that in some parts of Limpopo such as Tolwe, Massisi and Alldays, the number of illegal immigrants had in fact decreased.
But he declined to give any statistics.
'There's not a crisis at present'
"There's not a crisis in Limpopo or the country's northern border with Zimbabwe as reported in the media recently."
"When there's an increase in the number of attacks on farms, or robberies, then there's a crisis, but not at present."
Rounding up illegal immigrants was a job for the police. Farmers were allowed to round them up and hand them over to police only when they cut game fences or committed crimes.
"We'll take action against people who arrest illegals who've not committed any crimes, because anyone who does so is in fact guilty of a crime," Sengani said.
"If an illegal immigrant (wants to) complain of having their hands and feet tied when they're rounded up by farmers they can lay an assault charge with the police."
The chairperson of the Soutpansberg District Agricultural Union, Gideon Meiring, said on Wednesday that Sengani didn't know what he was talking about.
"We're not going to stop patrolling, rounding up illegals or protecting our property. The minister (Charles Nqakula, Minister of Safety and Security) said we should do something ourselves to curb crime and we're doing that now," Meiring added.
He said the patrols by the farmers were an honest effort by them to protect their property.
In any case, farmers suffered damage running into thousands of rand when border fences were cut and game escaped. A kudu had to be shot on the N1 freeway last month when it broke through a game fence that had been cut.
It cost farmers a lot to repair damaged fences and there had also been cases in the area where tourists had come face-to-face with illegal immigrants on the farms.
Farmers were trying to protect their property
Sengani said he didn't know why the media "focused" on illegal Zimbabwean immigrants, when there were also illegal immigrants from Mozambique, Zambia, Somali and Pakistan in South Africa.
Meanwhile AP quoted the manager of safety and security for the Transvaal Agriculture Union Chris van Zyl as saying farmers were trying to protect their property and help stabilise the situation.
"What must these guys do? Just sit back and do nothing, where in that kind of rural area there is no police presence," he said.
Van Zyl noted that there had been a noticeable increase in illegal immigrants as well as reports of thefts of stock, game and private property.
"There are many hungry people coming from Zimbabwe and when you have hungry people who are put in a tight spot, property is not secure," he said.
Van Zyl said the union had taken legal advice and did not believe any of their members were acting against the law.
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