27 Dec 2013

Travellers using temporary travelling documents without prior arrangement are not allowed to cross borders and will be turned back.

Speaking in an interview, deputy director of immigration and citizenship in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, Ms Flora Lekoko said Botswana had agreed with its neighbours not to allow people with temporary traveling documents to cross at borders.

“It will only be allowed in emergency situations and if people had earlier communicated with their respective home affairs departments and arrangements have been made with those countries they will be travelling to,” she said.

She indicated that travellers should note that temporary travelling documents could not just be used to take leisure trips, but rather for emergencies such as health issues.

Regarding the high number of people exiting and entering Botswana, Ms Lekoko said arrangements were in place to handle the numbers. “Border posts such as the one in Ramokgwebana, Tlokweng, Ramatlabama and Martins Drift have been catered for to deal with the high number of people travelling through them,” she said.

She further said the border post at Ramokgwebana had been operating on a 24hours basis since December 20 due to the high number of  customers, mostly Zimbabweans who were  travelling back home for the holidays.

“Other arrangements include increasing staff at Piooner, Tlokweng, Ramatlabama and Martnis Drift border posts to operate a three shift work routine,” said Ms Lekoko.

She said since beginning of December to December 23, there had been a lot of traffic at Tlokweng and Ramokgwebana border posts. “So far we have recorded 49 406 departures and 43 290 arrivals at Ramokgwebana.  For Tlokweng  border post, we had 43 071 departures and 46 653 arrivals,” she said.

Ramatlabama  registered 31 677 departures and 33 529 arrivals, Piooner 15 059 departures and 18 532 arrivals, Mamuno 13 460 departures, 11 941 arrivals while Martins Drift registered 21 218 departures, 27 072 arrivals.

Ms Lekoko urged people to exercise patience if they encouter long queues and they should also know that they will be assisted. “Prior arrangements can also be made if there is a large number of people who anticipate that by the time they get to one of our border posts, which does not operate 24hours they will find it closed,” she said.

Mr Kedumetse Lepang, chief immigration officer at Tlokweng border post, said beginning of this month to date, they had had a few challenges regarding travellers. “So far we have detained fifty-five people along with one Congolese national in connection with aiding and abetting people to cross over without proper traveling documents,” he said.

He also indicated that they had charged fourteen people with overstaying in Botswana. Three Batswana reported they had lost their passports.. “We also have detained a Zimbabwean national who tried crossing the border using a passport which does not belong to him/her,” said Mr Lepang.

He further said they refused entry to twelve people with temporary traveling documents, eleven from South Africa and one from Mozambique. Mr Lepang said congestion was usually in the mornings and evening. ENDS