By Rex Mphisa
SOME community leaders have raised concerns about people who are daring the flooded Limpopo River using inflatable boats to ferry border jumpers and goods across for a fee.
Beitbridge Urban Ward Three Councillor Takavingei Mahachi said the practice put people’s lives at risk.
He was commenting after a viral video of four fully loaded inflatable boats with one of them carrying children.
He alleged some unscrupulous and rogue officers were getting paid to look aside while people ventured into the river risking lives of their passengers.
“What measures are being taken by our law enforcement agencies to minimise loss of lives at all these undesignated crossing points? Obviously December, January and February, The Limpopo will be flooding. Commanders of our law enforcement agencies, what are you doing about these crossing points? What are you doing to stop your officers deployed to man the crocodile infested river kuti vasadyira vanhu mari vachivarega vachipinda murwizi rwakazara kudai? (So they don’t take bribes allowing people to go into such a flooded river),” the outspoken Mahachi said.
It is understood the operators of these boats make a killing trafficking people who do not have documents and sidestep the border.
During peak periods it costs R150 or more for an individual to be taken across the river.
At times the river is treacherous and some lives have previously been lost in the river forming the boundary of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Most of the informall crossing points are at the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) bases.
Last year a South African policemen shot and punctured some boats on the river resulting in some unknown number of people being swept away by the angry river.