Free State MEC for Community Safety Jabu Mbalula has confirmed that the driver of a bus carrying 32 undocumented Zimbabwean nationals possessed a legal ID and valid driver’s licence. The bus was intercepted in the Free State after passing through the Beit Bridge port of entry. Mbalula called for intensified collaboration between provinces to address such incidents.
A bus transporting 32 undocumented Zimbabwean nationals, including children, was detained in Bloemfontein. Free State MEC for Community Safety Jabu Mbalula confirmed that the driver held a legal ID and a valid driver’s licence.
Mbalula expressed concern that the bus had passed through the Beit Bridge port of entry and two other provinces before interception in the Free State. He noted that the vehicles appear compliant at the border but pick up undocumented passengers inside South Africa.
“What we know and we have discovered is that when these buses pass the port of entry, they are compliant. It is only after they enter South Africa after that they do the opposite. Reports have confirmed that some of these undocumented men were picked up at Louis Trichardt, Limpopo and the rest along the way,” Mbalula said.
The MEC emphasised the need for stronger collaborative efforts between provinces to prevent such occurrences.