Today, Friday 4 November, Home Affairs Immigration officers facilitated the smooth movement of ZCC Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane, through the Beit Bridge border into Zimbabwe ahead of the scheduled ZCC Prayer Convention scheduled for Sunday 6 November in Bulawayo.
Bishop Lekganyane is leading a delegation of about 70 000 ZCC members travelling in approximately 510 buses who will be crossing into Zimbabwe over the weekend for their scheduled annual Convention Prayer Sermon.
In consultation with the Home Affairs Department, SAPS, SANDF, Customs, and SARS, the government agreed to assist in the facilitation of the smooth movement of these ZCC members through Beit Bridge to travel to Zimbabwe.
The Department of Home Affairs has accordingly deployed 98 additional Immigration and Civic officers to assist the current contingent of immigration officers stationed at Beit Bridge to assist with the operation. They will be joined by members of the other law enforcement agencies such as SAPS and SANDF including SARS and Customs.
To ensure easy immigration process to facilitate this movement, the Department of Home Affairs has in consultation with SARS, Customs, SAPS and the SANDF opened a temporary transit facility at Musina, equipped with 40 work stations linked to the Home Affairs Movement Control System (MCS) for this purposes. The Limpopo government emergency medical services are deployed on site whilst the SANDF has supplied an electrical generator. In addition to the 510 buses expected to travel, 50 mini buses have been issued with permits by the Cross Border Roads and Transport Agency.
Our plan is to ensure there is no blockage caused at the border gate due to this large movement of persons in and out of the country. Once these ZCC members have been processed at Musina, they will then be escorted by the SAPS and SANDF to Beit Bridge for crossing into Zimbabwe.
We are satisfied that every resource has been put at the disposal of Bishop Lekganyane and members of the ZCC to ensure a smooth, effective and efficient movement into Zimbabwe. On behalf of Minister Dlamini Zuma, the department of Home Affairs and indeed on my own behalf we express our best wishes to these members of the ZCC during their annual convention in Bulawayo.
http://www.dha.gov.za/
| Media release |
| Weekly Media Briefing by Home Affairs Director-General Mkuseli Apleni |
4 NOVEMBER 2011
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