No crisis at Beitbridge: Home Affairs committee
Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs says plans have been put in place to deal with an influx of people entering the country through the Beitbridge Border Post.
The committee's chairperson, Hlomani Chauke has been commenting following a violent crackdown on nation-wide protests in Zimbabwe last week.
Chauke says there is no crisis at Beitbridge.
"The department is gearing up. We are putting so much pressure on ourselves as the committee to make sure that the officers at the frontline, including those at the borders and points of entry, are focused and put their work first," he said.
"They must deliver a service to people as they come into the country."
"There is no crisis so far, we are still in control."
Violent protests erupted in Zimbabwe after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that fuel prices would more than double to crack down on severe shortages and illegal trading.
Rights groups say at least 12 people have been killed in the violence that ensued.
Government said lessons can be learned from the violence, which the Zimbabwean Human Rights Commission called 'systematic torture.'
The DA said in a statement that it found the Beitbridge infrastructure is crumbling under the pressure of thousands of people who are seeking refuge in South Africa.
"The crisis in Zimbabwe will no doubt exacerbate what is already a broken South African immigration system which is failing to offer efficient and effective immigration services," said DA MP Jacques Julius.
The DA visited the border post yesterday to assess Home Affairs' readiness to deal with what it believes could be thousands of Zimbabwean nationals seeking refuge in South Africa.
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Chauke says there is no crisis at Beitbridge.
"The department is gearing up. We are putting so much pressure on ourselves as the committee to make sure that the officers at the frontline, including those at the borders and points of entry, are focused and put their work first," he said.
"They must deliver a service to people as they come into the country."
"There is no crisis so far, we are still in control."
Violent protests erupted in Zimbabwe after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that fuel prices would more than double to crack down on severe shortages and illegal trading.
Rights groups say at least 12 people have been killed in the violence that ensued.
Mnangagwa says investigations into any misconduct by security forces will launched.
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Government said lessons can be learned from the violence, which the Zimbabwean Human Rights Commission called 'systematic torture.'
The DA said in a statement that it found the Beitbridge infrastructure is crumbling under the pressure of thousands of people who are seeking refuge in South Africa.
"The crisis in Zimbabwe will no doubt exacerbate what is already a broken South African immigration system which is failing to offer efficient and effective immigration services," said DA MP Jacques Julius.