A
bushy
pathway
leads
to
the
crossing
points
along
the
Limpopo
River
that
are
the
most
treacherous
part
of
the
journey
for
Zimbabweans
seeking
a
better
life
in
South
Africa.
The
river
has
flooded
after
weeks
of
incessant
rain,
resulting
in
three
drownings of
“border
jumpers”
last
month
alone.
A
few
kilometres
away,
where
the
roar
of
the
river
can
still
be
heard,
men
and
women
clutching
small
bags
of
belongings
trudge
along
a
different
dusty
track
near
Malindi
Transit
Shed.
At
9am
on
a
Friday
morning
in
February,
the
route
to
the
bridge
connecting South
Africa and
Zimbabwe
is
already
heavily
patrolled
by
soldiers
clasping
rifles.
The
journey
to
Beitbridge
on
the
Zimbabwean
side
is
punctuated
by
five
security
checkpoints,
with
a
bribe
of
50
rand
(£2.40)
required
by
the
soldiers
and
police
at
each
stop.
“Where
are
you
going?
Come
here!”
shouts
a
soldier
at
a
woman
in
a
black
tracksuit.
After
questioning
her,
he
allows
the
woman
to
pass.
The
path
continues
to
the
old
Alfred
Beit
Bridge,
where
the
road
crosses
the
Limpopo
between
Musina
in
South Africa and
Beitbridge
in
Zimbabwe.
Here,
border-jumping
guides,
known
as magumaguma,
are
ready
to
assist
in
illegal
crossings.
It
is
a
steady
stream,
as
Zimbabweans
fleeing
economic
turmoil
seek
opportunities
in
South
Africa,
a
more
stable
economy.
Rising
inflation,
unemployment
and
poverty
drives
most
Zimbabweans
to
make
the
journey.
Those
who
can
afford
the
bribes
take
the
bridge.
Others
try
their
luck
in
the
fast-flowing
waters,
where
crocodiles
swim.
Women
who
have
‘jumped
the
border’
emerge
from
the
bush
near
Malindi
Transit
Shed
carrying
goods
from
South
Africa. Photograph:
Nyasha
Chingono
The
risks
are
high:
about
100
Zimbabweans
are
deported
daily,
according
to
South
Africa’s
Department
of
Home
Affairs.
But
Zimbabweans
with
little
left
at
home
are
still
making
the
journey
in
their
droves.
“You
just
pay
20
or
50
rand
and
they
will
let
you
pass.
But
at
every
stop,
you
have
to
part
with
something.
This
is
the
price
one
pays
to
gain
safe
passage,”
says
Gain
Murambiwa*,
38,
a
taxi
driver.
Another
driver
says
it
is
more
expensive
in
South
Africa,
where
security
has
been
stepped
up.
“Anyone
serious
about
crossing
should
at
least
part
with
600
rand,
because
it
is
more
expensive
in
South
Africa.
I
normally
do
five
or
six
trips
because
many
people
want
to
jump
the
border
and
we
are
here
to
help.
There
is
brisk
business
when
the
border
is
closed
like
this,”
he
says.
Moud
Mbedzi*,
39,
is
hoping
to
join
her
husband,
who
left
for
South
Africa
before
the
pandemic.
Holding
a
small
bag
of
clothes,
she
says:
“I
have
already
communicated
with
someone
on
the
other
side
who
will
help
me
get
past
security
into
South
Africa.”
She
has
left
her
two
children
in
the
care
of
her
mother.
“Luckily,
my
husband
found
a
job
and
if
I
get
one
also,
we
will
get
enough
money
to
take
care
of
our
children.
It’s
sad
to
leave
them
but
I
have
to
go,”
she
says.
Another
hopeful
traveller
is
Bright
Ntepe*,
30,
an
engineering
graduate.
“There
is
nothing
here
for
me.
I
have
tried
everything.
Maybe
there
is
a
better
life
for
me
in
South
Africa.
I
know
it
is
not
going
to
be
easy
but
I
will
try,”
Ntepe
says.
The
high
river
levels
are
undoubtedly
deterring
some.
At
Spillway,
a
once-popular
illegal
crossing
about
a
mile
from
Beitbridge,
the
men
fishing
say
the
river
is
too
dangerous
to
cross.
“We
hardly
see
anyone
coming
to
cross
because
the
waters
are
too
deep.
It
is
very
quiet
these
days,”
says
30-year-old
Arnold
Muzemba*.
But
at
other
spots
the
risky
crossings
continue.
Farther
along
the
river,
a
group
of
men
are
repairing
a
broken
wooden
boat
at
one
of
the
few
illegal
crossing
points
still
in
use
since
the
river
started
rising.
Moses
Mbedzi*,
40,
transports
both
people
and
goods
across
the
river.
His
raft
is
big
enough
to
carry
12
people
at
a
time,
plus
a
refrigerator
or
other
home
appliances.
Smugglers
also
pay
large
sums
to
move
contraband
across.
Driving
home
a
nail
as
he
tries
to
finish
the
work
before
the
rain
comes,
he
says
three
of
his
boats
have
been
destroyed
by
the
authorities
in
recent
weeks,
so
he
is
making
another
one.
A
gaping
hole
in
an
old
fence
near
the
Limpopo
River
shows
one
route
across
the
border.
Photograph:
Jérôme
Delay/AP
“This
is
the
only
job
I
know.
How
do
I
feed
my
family
without
helping
people
to
cross?
I
know
it
is
a
dangerous
job
but
I
have
to
do
it,”
Mbedzi
says.
“The
day
before
yesterday,
they
[the
security
forces]
destroyed
my
raft,
but
luckily
they
left
the
rope
that
we
use
to
control
the
raft
so
that
it
is
not
swept
away
by
the
current.
“This
is
a
dangerous
undertaking,
but
I
cannot
sit
at
home
and
do
nothing.”
The
Limpopo
runs
for
about
160
miles
(260km)
along
the
border,
and
the
police
have
just
eight
bases,
20
miles
apart,
making
it
difficult
to
control.
“These
people
are
adamant.
We
always
take
their
boats
but
you
will
see
them
the
next
day
with
a
new
one.
They
even
tried
to
create
a
wooden
bridge
years
ago
but
it
was
destroyed
by
our
South
African
counterparts,”
a
Zimbabwean
soldier
says.
Zimbabweans
who
succeed
in
breaching
the
border
still
have
to
get
past
dozens
of
roadblocks
on
the
other
side.
According
to
South
Africa’s
home
affairs
minister, Aaron
Motsoaledi, 13,387 people
were
arrested
at
roadblocks
between
10
December
and
31
December
last
year
for
border
jumping
and
smuggling-related
offences.
Refugees
risking
lives
to
reach
bright
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of
Johannesburg
Read
more
The
pandemic
has
exacerbated
smuggling
between
the
two
countries,
with
the
South
African
Police
Service
(SAPS)
saying
smuggled
goods
include
cigarettes,
explosives
and
stolen
vehicles.
“The
South
African
Police
Service
is
working
together
with
other
stakeholders
in
the
Justice,
Crime
Prevention
and
Security
cluster
at
the
borders
as
well
as
on
the
border
line
to
curb
illegal
crossings
of
persons
and
the
smuggling
of
items,”
says
its
spokesperson,
Col
Athlenda
Mathe.
“On
a
weekly
basis,
there
are
undocumented
persons
who
are
mostly
job-seekers
that
are
apprehended
by
the
SAPS
and
handed
over
to
Zimbabwean
authorities
through
a
repatriation
process
which
is
dealt
with
by
the
Department
of
Home
Affairs,”
says
Mathe.
But
even
as
the
authorities
in
both
countries
try
to
stem
the
flow
across
the
border,
the
economic
crisis
in
Zimbabwe
shows
no
sign
of
easing
and
the
number
of
people
prepared
to
risk
the
crossing
for
a
better
life
is
only
rising.