Beitbridge Bureau Chief
POLICE, in conjunction with the Vehicle Inspection Department, last Friday impounded 38 South African-registered cross border buses for operating without permits and breaching the country’s road traffic regulations.
Also caught up in the blitz were pirate taxi operators and some South African-registered vehicles used for transporting illegal immigrants between the two countries. Officer in charge of Police National Traffic section in Beitbridge, Inspector Tendai Nyambuya confirmed the arrests last Friday.
He said the buses were rounded up and were kept at VID depot in the border town.
He said the majority of the buses were operating on tourist permits while others were not registered.
Insp Nyambuya said under normal traffic regulations, the buses should be operating on cross border permits instead of the tourist permits, which they were now abusing.
"We rounded up over 38 buses and several cars used to ferry illegal immigrants between South Africa and Zimbabwe for violating our customs and road traffic regulations.
"You will realise that most of the buses were operating on tourist permits to carry cross-border passengers instead of acquiring the requisite permits.
"The tourist permit allows them to only carry travellers who will be coming here for tourism purposes not returning residents.
"We will continue rounding them up until they start complying with the laws of the land. As for the pirate taxis, we are descending heavily on them. As far as we are concerned there are no taxis in this town.
"All those found wanting will be brought to book. There is a crop of motorists who are in the habit of abusing the conditions of their Temporary Import Permits. Such people enter the country as genuine visitors but later divert from that and start touting for illegal immigrants on the guise of taking them to South Africa and later abuse and strip them of their valuables. We want to warn them that their days are numbered," said Insp Nyambuya.
published by The Herald 19 July 2010
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