Large crowds gather at Musina camp to process exit papers for Beitbridge 

• Large groups of foreign nationals were preparing to exit the country through the Beitbridge border post on Tuesday afternoon.
• The Department of Home Affairs said more buses were expected at the Musina Showgrounds from different parts of the country to get their documents.
• Some of the people gathered there said they had lived in South Africa for years.

Large groups of foreign nationals gathered at the Musina Showgrounds camp on Tuesday, queueing for documents they need to return home via the Beitbridge border post.

Department of Home Affairs officials at the camp did not provide an exact headcount on Tuesday afternoon but said the crowd was in its “thousands” and that more buses were still arriving from Durban, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape.

Some travellers said they had been on the road for three to four days.

The Musina Showgrounds camp was at capacity by mid afternoon. People were sleeping on mats and cardboard under trees. There were long queues outside the Musina home affairs and immigration offices where travellers were applying for travel certificates.

A man from Durban, who said he came to South Africa to pursue his career, noted the difference in conditions between the Durban and Musina camps.

“We were provided with food and everything at the Durban camp. Here in Musina there is no food and no showers,” he said.

Several other people in the queue told a similar story. They said they had not eaten since the previous day and had been sleeping outside since arriving in Musina.

One Malawian said he was frustrated by delays in processing exit papers.

The man said he had lived in South Africa for five years.

“I am frustrated because the process here at Musina and Beitbridge is very slow,” he said.

A fellow Malawian said he had lived in South Africa for four years and had all the necessary documents to be in the country. He was leaving because of the current political climate.

“Things in South Africa are bad because we are fighting for jobs with locals,” he said. “The MK Party just wants everyone out. It’s chasing everyone out. I am happy that I am going back home.”

There were South African Police Service and South African National Defence Force vehicles at the camp entrances and along the road leading to the home affairs office.

Officials said processing would continue while buses continued to arrive. Travellers said they were waiting for confirmation on transport to Beitbridge once they had their papers.