Overview
- The bus, which police stopped in Bloemfontein on Friday, was carrying 32 undocumented foreign nationals in addition to 43 travelers cleared at Beitbridge on Thursday.
- The Border Management Authority says the vehicle passed all checks at the north gate with records and footage from a post-border weighing station showing it left compliant with 43 documented passengers.
- Investigators have not confirmed where the extra passengers boarded and have launched a full probe, with officials noting reports of pick-ups in Makhado and Johannesburg.
- Commissioner Michael Masiapato says the driver could face aiding-and-abetting charges under section 59 of the Immigration Act, and Parliament’s Home Affairs committee has called for the suspension of Rimbi Travel and Tours pending the inquiry.
- Masiapato is monitoring Beitbridge operations through Wednesday as authorities roll out drones, body-worn cameras, and armored vehicles, while recent Easter-period policing in Limpopo under Operation Shanela led to over 1,000 arrests, about 500 for undocumented status.