The Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Mosa Chabane, has called for stronger accountability after authorities intercepted an unroadworthy bus carrying undocumented immigrants in Limpopo.
Chabane, alongside Limpopo Police Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Hadebe, joined an ongoing law enforcement operation led by the Department of Transport and Community Safety after authorities stopped a bus travelling from Malawi to Johannesburg carrying 75 passengers, 43 of whom were found to be undocumented.
“It is unacceptable that despite the mandates of the two agencies, incidents of foreign buses transporting illegal immigrants continue to be intercepted within the country. The two agencies must adopt a zero-tolerance approach to this illegality,” Chabane said.
He criticised what he described as a lack of follow-through in enforcing regulations, noting that several bus companies have been intercepted this year for allegedly transporting undocumented foreign nationals.
“The Cross-Border Road Transport Agency has for a long time threatened to take a hard-line stance by withdrawing permits of bus companies knowingly transporting undocumented immigrants. There appears to be no follow-through in enforcing the law, which is unacceptable,” he said.
