Monday, May 30, 2011

Insight into VaPfumbi culture





Friday, 20 May 2011 20:20
By Thupeyo Muleya
The Vapfumbi culture has stood the test of time, especially when it comes to chieftaincy matters and safeguarding their values and ethos.
Chieftainship wrangles have been reported throughout the country for sometime where family members fight bitter wars with some even consulting traditional healers and witch doctors to ensure they secure the coveted throne.
However, no wrangle has been reported among the Vapfumbi tribe which has for many years managed to follow tradition in solving the succession issue.
When Zimbabwe attained independence in 1980, the Government introduced a new system of governance which sought to decentralise power to the traditional leaders (chiefs).
These fall under the Chiefs and Headmen Act.
This was meant to help them preside over civil matters which didn't need the intervention of the justice system.
Traditional leaders are also viewed as custodians of culture and values of certain tribes across the country.
However, Beitbridge district was hit by a tragedy of living without senior traditional leaders (chiefs) for the last five years.
The district falls under the jurisdiction of two chiefs - Chichewo Matibe in the East and Pariti Sitauze in the West.
Chief Matibe passed away in May last year and was of the Vapfumbi tribe, while Chief Sitauze of the VhaVenda tribe passed on in September 2006.
A fierce battle has been raging for sometime between the group led by the late chief's brother, Paul Sitauze and one led by a rival Johnson Mbedzi a descendent of the late chief's brother Marema who has since roped in the Ward 11 councillor Pini Mbedzi to his side.
Marema was born with Matshavha and Mauda being sons of Diasikwa the man who started a bitter fight with Siturimani in the late 1930s.
A 10-member research and steering committee was appointed by family members on February 24, 2007 to oversee the succession issue.
The camp led by Paul has since chosen Mubuso Mbedzi, the surviving eldest son, following the death of his brother Simon to take over the throne, while Johnson is claiming that the late had been performing the duties on a caretaker basis and is not of "royal blood".
He says Siturimani's father Mabukila was never a chief in his life. Mbedzi is alleging that the late Chief Pariti Sitauze was only a caretaker chief whose grandfather, Siturimani was "planted" by the then Native Commissioner a Mr Elliot during the Rhodesian era.
The succession issue is yet to be settled and the two camps are failing to reach a compromise.
Chief Matibe died at the age of 63 following a short illness at his Makothe village in Madaulo, some 80km out of the border town.
Funeral procedures were carried out on the morning of May 11, 2010 in line with their cultural practices.
Chichewo took over the reigns in 1976 following the death of his father in the early 1970s and was to be replaced by his nephew Timba Matibe as acting chief who then passed on in 1975.
Chief Matibe is survived by his wife Maria Matibe, nine children and several grandchildren. The Vapfumbi tribe is naturally secretive when it comes to information regarding its cultural values and tradition.
However, The Herald managed to penetrate the clan in a visit to the late chief's homestead recently.
According to the late chief's brother, Joseph Lungano Matibe affectionately known as Two-Two by other villagers in Beitbridge East their clan does not take lightly to prying strangers.
The Herald caught up with Lungano at Makothe village soon after Chichewo was buried formally. Ironically he is the only one in the family who can speak fluent Venda.
All other members are comfortable in speaking their Pfumbi language. After some minutes of negotiating, Two-Two finally gave in and took us to the chief's homestead where we were told to wait at the Khoro (Chief's court), while he consulted with other family members to talk to us.
The Matibe clan, whose totem is Chidzivahungwe derived from the crocodile, lives aloof from other villagers in Madaulo area just near Keyanse Estate on the boundary of Mwenezi and Beitbridge districts.
They have their own dip-tank and borehole in the midst of their village. They also speak a language which is a mixture of Venda and Shona.
"When a chief dies, we have a different way of burying him. We take his body to his hut (Pfamoni) where he used to keep his sacred tools and make a bed of logs made on top of a stilt. The body is then locked there and the house is sealed for 12 months.
"The eldest aunt then selects some family members who will pour water into the hut every day through the top of the roof known as Chiludzini.
"This is done until the body is rotten and only bones are left. After a year, we carry out some rituals to bury his remains at our local shrine Tshiendeulu at Malungudzi Mountains where our forefathers are lying," said Lungano.
He added: "Our succession procedure is not very difficult. When the right time comes (after a year of the chief's death) just like now; we make all his children form a queue to push the door inside. Who ever pushes it and falls in will be installed the next chief, whether it's a boy or girl.
"In this case, Elsh who happens to be the late chief's eldest son beat 16 others who were vying for the throne. They had to go through the process twice until Elsh broke the jinx.
"When inside the hut there is stone which they take from his remains and swallow it. This will guide them through their rein as chief. This has been in practice since time immemorial. The stone was taken from the stomach of a crocodile which is our totem."
He said after that they take him to a secluded house where we keep him for a few hours until the end of the day.
"We will then take the remains and put them in a cow hide and bury them at the shrine where only close members are allowed.
"We dig the grave using sticks and bury him using our own hands, no metal objects are allowed at the shrine. The new chief initiate will only see his father's grave on the following morning. As soon as that has been done we take him to Matonjeni (Matopo) where other members of our clan stay with our ancestral spirits.
"He will only be installed the new chief after we come back from Matopo and have a gathering open to members of the public. Until that is done, we will on every Wednes-day play the ancestral drum known as Nengwani at night.
"This is the cradle of our tribe and is four generations old. Furthermore, we will construct a hut for him at his homestead and we will keep the drum behind it until he passes on and it goes to the next heir of the chieftaincy" he said.
Lungano added that in their tradition when a chief passes away they do not appoint anyone to act in his capacity, instead whenever there is a dispute they come together as family elders and make a decision.
He explained that from the first day of the chief's death until a successor is found, the family members gather together at his homestead with her widow.
"We don't cry and we beat a drum until the next morning when we disperse to our houses. We use it in happy or sombre times. Let me warn you this is a very sacred drum which cannot be touched by anyone who is still of child bearing age. They can only do that with the permission from the family elders," he pointed out.
He said the drum is made in such a way that it makes a lot of sound adding that there is a special uniform which is worn when they beat it.
The Nengwani drum is over 120-years-old.
He added that after the new chief is installed, he is indoctrinated with their beliefs and ways of life. Lungano said unlike other tribes, the chief needs not carry out the rainmaking rituals himself, saying a council of family elders sits and allocate tasks to each other.
He said they had similar practices with those Vapfumbi living under Chief Maranda as they are always in contact with each other.
"In our culture, the chief doesn't necessarily need to go to Matonjeni (Njelele Mountains) for rain-making rituals himself. Instead, we come together as a council of elders and allocate each other responsibility with his guidance," said Two-Two.
A historian from the Border town, Mr Samuel Mulaudzi said the Vapfumbi had an amicable way of dealing with succession.
He said the tribe was a section of the Venda people who were known for rain-making rituals.
"This is a clan which was responsible of rain-making rituals. Their language was formerly termed a sacred one as they used it to communicate with the Gods during rain- making ceremonies.
"It then spread into the community through women from one of the ceremonies at Njelele mountains.
"It so happened one year soon after conducting the rain making ritual.
"The group told people to look for a lot of firewood that would last them for a month saying they were going to be heavy rains that following month.
"The heavy rains came as they predicted resulting in other members of the Venda community calling them Vha Bvumbi Vhamvula (meaning they could predict what would happen in the next rain season). Thus the name became to be known as VhaPfumbi," said Mulaudzi.
He added that the clan swallowed a stone from a crocodile to show their strength which they equate to that of the reptile.
Renowned author and Professor Ntambeleni Charles Netshisaulu (Venda) of the University of Venda (UNIVEN) in South Africa said the VhaPfumbi were descendents of the VhaNgona tribe.
He said it is common practice that every eligible Venda chief should swallow that stone which forms the essence of the chieftaincy.
"This is a common practice among the Venda chiefs. You will realise that every eligible chief in the Venda tribe has to swallow the stone which is known as Ngwedi.
"In most cases, the chief vomits it on the very day he passes on. The stone is then kept in that scared hut and will be given to the heir to swallow it. That can only be swallowed by an eligible heir to the chieftaincy," he said.
Only time will tell if this mysterious culture will continue to be passed on from generation to generation.

www.herald.cozw

Mbewe crowned Mr Ugly Unlimited





Sunday, 29 May 2011 21:16

Mr Ugly Austin Mbewe (centre) poses for a photo with Second Runner-up Chitova Chezhira (left) and First Runner-Up Kudakwashe Chiramba.

By Thupeyo Muleya in Beitbridge
ZIMBABWE'S most ugly man was crowned here on Saturday night at Pagomo Heights Leisure Centre in a fun-filled occasion attended by hundreds of people, some of them from as far as Bulawayo and Harare.
The venue was filled to the brim with long winding queues of cars along the road to Pagomo Heights.
Harare-based dance group Girls La Musica added colour to the event.
Bulawayo-based Austin Mbewe (30) was crowned this year's winner of the contest after beating eight other hopefuls for the tightly contested Mr Ugly.
Initially, a total of 15 ugly men were expected to outclass each other on the ramp but six developed cold feet at the eleventh hour.
The show was held for the third time running after the previous two shows were successful in drawing an average of 30 men who volunteered to outclass each other to be crowned Zimbabwe's ugliest man.
The pageant had the blessings of the National Arts Council and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and the judges were women.
Beitbridge-based Kudakwashe Chiramba (45) was crowned first runner-up while Chitova Chezhira (39) of Masvingo was the second runner-up.
For the first time since its inception, the pageant had two Mr Ugly Personalities in the form of Thomas Magwegwe and Touchmore Denyathi both of Beitbridge.
Mbewe was undoubtedly the deserving winner as he moved the crowd from the onset when he took to the ramp.
He shrugged off a challenge from Chitova and Chiramba, but at the end of the day everyone agreed he was the right man for the Mr Ugly throne.
For his efforts, Mbewe went away with a blanket and R1 200 cash, the first and second runners-up received R600 and R500 along with a blanket apiece.
The two Mr Ugly Personalities walked away with a blanket each and cash prizes of R250.
The other finalists received a blanket each as consolation.
In an interview, Mbewe said: "I feel greatly honoured by this victory, I have been a subject of ridicule from society since childhood and the world has seen that there is a beautiful side to my ugliness.
"I am very confident with my natural looks and confident about it. It was a tight contest but at the end of the day my hard work was rewarded."
Show organiser, Lovemore Chonzi of Aerowise Entertainment, said the pageant was growing bigger every year.
"We had lots of prizes and the attendance was very good. We are looking forward to building on the success of this year's edition," he said.
He said they had successfully held road-shows to lure contestants from all parts of Beitbridge district and across the country.
They had cast their net wider with contestants from as far as Bulawayo, Mbalabala, Masvingo, Kwekwe, Tshaswingo and Zaka participating.
"Basically the competition is meant for people to have fun and celebrate who they are just like any other contests in the world.
"We held another contest this year banking on the success of the last two editions and we are working towards making the contest a national event.
"This time around we had four categories that is casual, smart casual, safari and sports."
Last year's winner, popularly known as VaChiganda in the border town, walked away with R1 500, while the first prince got R1 200 and the second prince received R1 000 cash.
Mr Ugly Pageant chairperson, Dominic Gwatirisa said they were still working towards making the pageant truly national.
www.herald.co.zw

Monday, May 16, 2011

Matibe initiated paramount chief for Beitbridge East

Sunday, 15 May 2011 21:44
By Thupeyo Muleya
EILSH Matibe, the eldest son of the late paramount chief Chichewo Matibe who died last year, was last week initiated the new chief at a traditional ceremony held in line with the Vapfumbi traditions.
The ceremony was held at Makothe Village, 80km east of Beitbridge town on Thursday last week.
Eilsh (43) will undergo the full initiation processes in the next three weeks and will be formally installed chief at a later date.
He replaces his father who passed on at the age of 67 on May 10 last year.
The late Chichewo is survived by wife Maria, nine children and several grandchildren. Since then, Beitbridge district has been operating without a chief following the death of Pariti Stauze of Beitbridge West and Matibe of Beitbridge East.
There is also a long-standing dispute in the Stauze clan over the rightful heir to the throne.
According to the Vapfumbi culture, the chief is kept in his bedroom hut for a year until his burial after 12 months.
Scores of mourners from all over Beitbridge gathered at the Matibe homestead on Tuesday to witness the formal burial of the chief and the initiation of his heir.
The burial programme was conducted between 4 and 6am on Tuesday. In an interview, the late chief's brother Joseph Matibe said Eilsh beat 16 contenders to the throne.
"We have formally buried the late chief and in our tradition we don't just appoint the new heir, but we make his children queue and push the door to the bedroom hut where he had been lying in the last 12 months.
"Whoever manages to open the door will be initiated as the new chief.
"After which we take the chief's remains and bury them in line with our tradition at our shrine at Malungudzi Mountains.
"However, no strangers are allowed there while we carry out the initiation and burial process.
"We will formally install Eilsh as chief after we have notified our ancestors at Matopo and that will be carried out in the next three weeks, but members of the public will be notified in due course", he said.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Zimra clears congestion at Beitbridge





Friday, 13 May 2011 22:22

Beitbridge Border Post

Beitbridge Bureau Chief
CONGESTION at Beitbridge Border Post has eased after the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority deployed more officers to clear cars being imported into the country.
Few Zimra officers on vehicle clearance sections were failing to cope with the backlog in terms of duty calculations for second-hand vehicles imported from Asian countries, mainly Japan.

Although the Government has hinted it intends to review the ban on the importation of vehicles more than five-years- old and those that are left-hand driven, dealers in mainly old Japanese cars and individuals are rushing to beat the initial June 30 deadline.

MORE

In separate interviews here yesterday, many car importers said they were now spending at least 24 hours to get the whole clearance process completed.
"We are happy things are moving in the right direction and hope that they will remain like this.

"This time I managed to get my car cleared within 24 hours unlike the previous experiences where I would spend three days to know how much I should pay as excise duty," said Mr Tapiwa Mukarakate of Mutare.
A Zimra source said more personnel had been deployed to handle the car clearances.

"More guys have been deployed and the situation has normalised," said an official who refused to be named.
The Shipping and Forwarding Agents Association of Zimbabwe also expressed satisfaction with the improvement in the vehicle clearance process.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Semion Mudau who is SFAAZ Beitbridge chairperson, said some of the challenges were being worsened by car dealers who took long to deliver vehicles to Beitbridge.
"We have noted an influx with regards to used car imports from Asia, but the main challenges are being caused by transporters who advise people to come to Beitbrige before the cars arrive.

"You will realise that some people spend three days in Beitbridge waiting for their cars to be delivered and then spend a day for them to get cleared by Zimra.

"We are urging the importers to address this situation because it is very costly, especially on the car importers part. Some of the challenges people are facing stem from disagreements with Zimra in terms of valuations for their cars.

"At times people import cars without money to pay for customs duty and in turn put pressure on our parking space. We have been consulting with Zimra and they will soon dispose of all those cars that spend more than two months in our yard without being cleared in line with Cus-toms and Excise instruments." Mr Mudau said.

He said they had installed a 70 KVA generator at Manica warehouse that will see Zimra doing car clearances under one roof from 6am to 10 pm. At the moment, car dealers have the challenge of shuttling between Manica warehouse and the border post to get their vehicles cleared.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Ex-Jap cars flood Beitbridge





Tuesday, 10 May 2011 21:16
From Thupeyo Muleya in BEITBRIDGE
THERE is congestion at Beitbridge Border Post following a sudden influx of used vehicle imports, mainly from Japan, as car dealers and individuals rush to beat the June 30 deadline set by Government to ban the importation of vehicles over five- years-old.
Sources at the border post say 15 car carriers used to be handled per day, translating to 101 vehicles.

The number has since increased in the last two months to between 30 and 40 car carriers per day, translating to about 250 cars per day.
However, Transport, Communication and In-frastructure Development Minister Nicholas Go-che yesterday indicated that the Government was reviewing the June 30 deadline.

He said Government wanted to hold further consultations with relevant stakeholders.
Minister Goche said the Government was re-viewing the implementation of regulations banning the importation of left-hand-drive cars and those over five-years-old previously set for June 30.

EARLIER RELATED REPORTS

In an interview yesterday, the minister said he would soon issue a statement over that matter.
"We are reviewing the whole implementation of the regulations and I think that is what people want to hear at the moment. I am going to issue a statement after consultation with relevant stakeholders," he said.

The regulations were set in September last year and were due to become effective in Dece-mber.
However, they were deferred to July this year and as the deadline approaches, it has caused panic among vehicle importers.

It is understood that car imports which pass through Beitbridge have increased in the last two months with Zimbabwe Revenue Authority officials reportedly struggling to clear the backlog at the vehicles duty calculations section.

Unconfirmed reports also indicate that car dealers here and in Durban were also contemplating reducing prices to clear their stocks before midnight on June 30.
Zimbabwe is one of the major importers of used Japanese vehicles in Southern Africa.

Car importers have raised concern over the pace at which excise duty for their vehicles was being calculated.
Some importers had to wait for at least four days for them to know how much they were supposed to pay as duty, a process that used to be done in a day.

Early this year, it was reported that the num-ber of cars coming in through Beitbridge rose in January this year to 3 150 compared to 2 310 in January 2010.
Official figures from Zimra indicated that the number of vehicles imported had gone up significantly since January 2011 due to the fact that many importers delayed delivery last year to benefit from the new rates of duty introduced in January this year.

"A total of 3 150 vehicle submissions were ma-de for the month of January 2011 compared to 2 310 vehicles imported in January 2010," said an official who declined to be named.
Zimra officials at Beitbridge who preferred anonymity said the upsurge in vehicle imports from Japan started two months ago.

They claimed that they expected the number to increase.
One of the officials said: "On average, we handle about 15 car carriers per day, translating to 101 vehicles that we clear per day, but in the last two months we have been clearing between 30 and 40 car carriers.

"That has also put a lot of pressure on the vehicle clearance department as we have to battle with the duty calculations.
"Under normal circumstances, clearing a car should be done within 24 hours but now some have to be done between two to four days and we expect the figure to increase in the next six weeks. People have been panicking on what will happen after June 30 and are rushing to get their vehicles into the country before the stipulated deadline.

"In most cases, our peak periods for arrival of car carriers are Thursdays and Fridays, where we clear 160 or more cars per day."
The official added that officers from their department were equal to the task adding that at any given time there were between 700 and 800 cars awaiting clearance at the Manica bonded warehouse per day.

It is feared that the number might drastically increase soon.
"We are also worried that if something is not done at the earliest possible time, we will have cars piling up at Manica warehouse as people would want to bring their imports in and clear them later," said the official.

Cars with an engine capacity of between 1 000 cubic cm and 1 500 cubic cm now attract excise duty of 25 percent, Value Added Tax of 15 percent and a surtax of 25 percent for vehicles that are more than five-years-old.

In a recent interview Zimra's Commissioner responsible for corporate and legal affairs Ms Florence Jambwa said the rise in imports meant the Government was now making more money than it did from car import taxes.

Mrs Jambwa said Zimra faced the challenge of cars piling up at the vehicle workstation and they were in the process of moving all clearance processes to the Manica Bonded Warehouse.
Last year, Zimra moved the clearance of all imported vehicles from the Customs yard in a bid to decongest the border post.

This was because some importers dumped their cars there after failing to pay duty.
She also indicated that they were working towards reducing the time importers spend at border posts.

Somali refugees sent back to Zim


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Wednesday, 04 May 2011 22:32
Beitbridge Bureau Chief
THE South African Immigration Department is sending back to Zimbabwe Somalis seeking refuge in that country amid reports of a looming malaria outbreak in Beitbridge border town.

It is understood that South Africa is arguing that Zimbabwe should regularise the Somalis’ movement first before allowing them to cross into that country.

However, health officials reported that the majority of the Somali refugees that were stranded at Beitbridge Border Post since Friday had a severe strain of malaria.

Medical examinations carried out on 10 of the refugees indicated that most had malaria while two of them who were seriously ill were still admitted at Beitbridge District Hospital.
The other eight were treated and discharged.

According to Zimbabwean immigration officials at Beitbridge Border Post, the South Africans started sending the Somalis to Zimbabwe last Thursday.

Previously, Ethiopians and Somalis seeking refugee in South Africa would be vetted on the Zimbabwean side and allowed passage into South Africa where they would apply for refugee status.

The district civil protection committee on Tuesday resolved to round up all Somali refugees and take them into a temporary holding place.

They are likely to be taken to Tongogara refugee centre in Chipinge. Committee chairperson, Mr Simon Muleya, who is also the district administrator, said the situation, needed urgent attention before it went out of hand.

Mr Muleya said they were still consulting with the national refugee committee on the way forward.
“We are very worried about this development whereby the South African immigration department started turning away the

Somali refugees at their border insisting they would not assist them if they are undocumented.
“We are still consulting with the national executive while we also call for inter-governmental interventions between the governments of Zimbabwe and South Africa.

“If this situation is not addressed urgently, we are at risk of a severe malaria epidemic. This scenario is a real cause for concern and as a committee we are going to do everything necessary to assist these people.

“These people have started wandering in the town where they are asking for food and that is not pleasing as they are putting the community at risk of contracting malaria.

“We will also engage other partners such as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organisation for Migration, local government and other security agencies.

“In the interim, we are going to put them in a temporary holding place where they will all be decontaminated of malaria while efforts to address their plight are being made,” he said.

Although South Africa deported the Somalis, it was difficult for Zimbabwe to chase them away as the country was bound by the international refugees’ protocols to offer them assistance.

Mr Muleya said IOM and other human rights and refugee organisations were still engaging the South African government on the matter.

Police officer commanding Beitbridge District Chief Superintendent Hosiah Mukombero also said the group posed a security threat as they were now roaming around the town while others had even disappeared from the border.
“These people are now pausing a security threat and we need to act as soon as possible before the situation goes out of hand,” he said.

Zim, SA agree on illegal immigrants





Friday, 06 May 2011 22:19

Beitbridge Bureau Chief
ZIMBABWE and South Africa yesterday agreed to deal decisively with illegal immigrants, mainly from countries north of the Zambezi River that are accessing the two countries without proper documents.
The resolution was made following a meeting held in Beitbridge yesterday between security agents and immigration officials from both countries.

This comes after an upsurge in illegal immigrants, mainly from Somalia who skip the country into South Africa through the Beitbridge Border Post. They will be masquerading as refugees seeking assistance.
Immigration officials from the two countries expressed concern over the developments.

They said they would deal with them according to the provisions of the immigration and refugee laws of both countries.
Recently, more 100 Somalis were stranded at Beitbridge Border Post after they were sent back from the South African side for failing to produce proper documents.

The South Africans argued that Zimbabwe needed to document the refugees first before allowing them to proceed to the next host country.
It also emerged that most of them had a severe strain of malaria.

The Beitbridge District Civil Protection Committee resolved to round them up and detain them at a temporary holding camp pending transportation to Tongogara Refugee Camp in Chipinge.
However, the group disappeared from the border town after getting information that they would be rounded up.

Only 64 Somalis that arrived late this week at the border post were rounded up by police and immigration officials on Thursday night.
Zimbabwe's principal director of Immigration Senior Assistant Commissioner Clemence Masango, said they were concerned with issues of irregular migration.

"We held a meeting with our South African counterparts to address the question of irregular migration and its vices.
"Both countries are feeling the effect from the security point of view and crime in general.

"With that in mind, we have resolved that all migration issues must be administered in accordance with our national laws and procedures," said Masango.
"Persons will be admitted on the strength of valid and acceptable travel documents as is the norm throughout the world.

"It was agreed that all those not meeting, conforming or evading these procedures shall be treated as inadmissible.
"The law is very clear that those claiming refugee or asylum be treated along the national strategies and guidelines of migration in consultation with the office of the commissioner of refugees and other stakeholders.

"We have made a stand that we will descend heavily on those evading the law and our officers are adequately qualified in dealing with such issues.
"No one should claim to be a refugee in any country until they have formally applied and conferred with that status by the host country." he said.

Snr Ass Comm Masango said the law enforcement agencies were on the ground dealing with those who were in the country illegally.
He said most of those seeking refugee status in the country were coming through Nyamapanda Border Post and were going through the normal determination processes.

"We are bound by the country's legislative laws and the international laws in handling refugees.
"Most of those roaming our borders will have entered the country illegally or deserted our refugee centre in Chipinge," he said.

South Africa's deputy director general of immigration, Mr Jackson McKay said: "We are very much concerned with the upsurge in irregular migration between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
"We have come together to find a lasting solution to the problem.

"As authorities, we have agreed to effectively apply the immigration laws and international conventions that guide us in handling refugees and transit population.
"Anyone who wishes to access either country should have proper and acceptable travelling documents".
Mr McKay challenged security forces to work hard in reducing cases of illegal migration within the Limpopo River. It is believed that there are over 200 illegal crossing points to South Africa dotted along the Limpopo River.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Somali refugees sent back to Zim





Wednesday, 04 May 2011 22:32
Beitbridge Bureau Chief
THE South African Immigration Department is sending back to Zimbabwe Somalis seeking refuge in that country amid reports of a looming malaria outbreak in Beitbridge border town.

It is understood that South Africa is arguing that Zimbabwe should regularise the Somalis’ movement first before allowing them to cross into that country.

However, health officials reported that the majority of the Somali refugees that were stranded at Beitbridge Border Post since Friday had a severe strain of malaria.

Medical examinations carried out on 10 of the refugees indicated that most had malaria while two of them who were seriously ill were still admitted at Beitbridge District Hospital.
The other eight were treated and discharged.

According to Zimbabwean immigration officials at Beitbridge Border Post, the South Africans started sending the Somalis to Zimbabwe last Thursday.

Previously, Ethiopians and Somalis seeking refugee in South Africa would be vetted on the Zimbabwean side and allowed passage into South Africa where they would apply for refugee status.

The district civil protection committee on Tuesday resolved to round up all Somali refugees and take them into a temporary holding place.

They are likely to be taken to Tongogara refugee centre in Chipinge. Committee chairperson, Mr Simon Muleya, who is also the district administrator, said the situation, needed urgent attention before it went out of hand.

Mr Muleya said they were still consulting with the national refugee committee on the way forward.
“We are very worried about this development whereby the South African immigration department started turning away the

Somali refugees at their border insisting they would not assist them if they are undocumented.
“We are still consulting with the national executive while we also call for inter-governmental interventions between the governments of Zimbabwe and South Africa.

“If this situation is not addressed urgently, we are at risk of a severe malaria epidemic. This scenario is a real cause for concern and as a committee we are going to do everything necessary to assist these people.

“These people have started wandering in the town where they are asking for food and that is not pleasing as they are putting the community at risk of contracting malaria.

“We will also engage other partners such as the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organisation for Migration, local government and other security agencies.

“In the interim, we are going to put them in a temporary holding place where they will all be decontaminated of malaria while efforts to address their plight are being made,” he said.

Although South Africa deported the Somalis, it was difficult for Zimbabwe to chase them away as the country was bound by the international refugees’ protocols to offer them assistance.

Mr Muleya said IOM and other human rights and refugee organisations were still engaging the South African government on the matter.

Police officer commanding Beitbridge District Chief Superintendent Hosiah Mukombero also said the group posed a security threat as they were now roaming around the town while others had even disappeared from the border.
“These people are now pausing a security threat and we need to act as soon as possible before the situation goes out of hand,” he said.

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