Border Gauntlet- Carte Blanche and Violence flares up in Balfour News24

Balfour - Violence flared up again at Siyathemba township in Balfour at the weekend, when residents turned on foreign shop owners, Mpumalanga police said on Monday.

"They started last night [Sunday] and they burnt the shops of foreigners," said Sergeant Sam Tshabalala.

Tshabala said he would have more information on the protests later in the day.

Last year, President Jacob Zuma visited Balfour following a series of protests at Siyathemba where residents demanded the removal of all Mbombela municipal councillors.

In July, residents took to the streets, burning tyres and barricading roads. About 30 foreign nationals had to stay the Balfour police station for safety reasons

Click to expand...

The border fence between South African and Zimbabwe has been torn open, as an estimated 10 000 Zimbabweans pour into South Africa a week.

Click to expand...

Here in the bush the guma-guma gangs operate with impunity, says Sabelo Sibanda.

Adv Sabelo Sibanda (Lawyers for Human Rights): 'Guma-guma is a group of people whose primary role was to facilitate the smuggling of individuals from Zimbabwe into South Africa, more particularly by virtue of their knowledge of the various paths through the bush.'

They wait at fuel stations both sides of the border for paying human cargo, assuring them that they can get them across without any documentation.

[Hidden camera] Man: 'I've got two people - I want you to help them to cross?'

[Hidden camera] Man 2: 'It will be 200 each.'

[Hidden camera] Man: 'If you come across soldiers, what are you going to do?'

[Hidden camera] Man 2: 'I am going to pay them, that's my job.'

[Hidden camera] Man: 'You pay soldiers?'

[Hidden camera] Man 2: 'Yes.'

In recent months they're abusing the vulnerability of the people they profess to assist.

Sabelo: 'They have transformed, from individuals who provided a service, to actually abusing their position of knowledge of the bush into subjecting people to various abuses.'

Click to expand...

They all have a story of how they came here illegally. Takuna came in search of a better life.

Bonita: 'Why, what were you running from? What is so scary for you there?'

Takuna: 'The economy of Zimbabwe. You can't find jobs and we are youths. So we need jobs here in South Africa.'

But, instead of helping him across, the guma-guma robbed him.

Click to expand...

Here on Beitbridge Zimbabweans squeeze through holes in the railings, slipping through behind border control undetected. Even more brazen border jumpers walk through the no-man's land underneath the bridge in broad daylight.

Click to expand...

South Africa is seen as the land of milk and honey - luring Zimbabweans here.

Sabelo: 'When the South African government announced the 90-day visitor's visa, one of the things they said was, 'We are allowing Zimbabweans to come and work in South Africa so that they can earn money and send to their relatives.' The impression created was, 'Wow, government has lots of jobs for us!''

But the reality is that they become part of the growing humanitarian crisis. They wait for days outside Home Affairs for their asylum seekers' permits, allowing them to work here. Many of them camp out here night and day because the shelters are full. The UN's Karmini Karlekar tries to ease their journey.

Click to expand...

Home Affairs did not grant us an interview, but they said they are trying to address corruption and streamline the documentation process.

Click to expand...

Hennie: 'If the government does their job properly - in other words set up camps - they must sharpen the patrols on the border, they must start fighting the crime in the river itself. But everyone knows what's going on in the river. Now, either whether they're scared or don't have enough man power, if that isn't stopped, then we're going to have this situation for the next 10 years.'

Click to expand...

Mila said:

The land with no milk or honey..

Click to expand...

DreamKing said:

but we have ANC ..........

Click to expand...