Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi warned travellers using fake Covid-19 certificates that they would face very serious charges if caught. This comes after 17 fake certificates were discovered over the festive season.
The minister's warning was issued at a mobile testing site at Beitbridge border post on Saturday, 2 January, when Covid-19 regulations compliance was monitored.
More than 500 undocumented Zimbabweans are arrested daily for trying to enter the country illegally, while other illegal immigrants are being deported back to their countries of origin for failing to produce valid Covid-19 certificates.
Motsoaledi expressed his concern about "corruption on Zimbabwe's side of the Beitbridge border post" regarding the issuing of fake Covid-19 certificates. He said that, as from Monday, operations would be stepped up along the border with Zimbabwe to curb illegal crossings into South Africa.
He said that the army would patrol the rivers and a helicopter and drones would be used to monitor the border. "The army is getting a helicopter. SARS has provided them with rubber dinghies, and these dinghies will be moving up and down the rivers, chasing those who are trying to cross with dinghies. We have heard about a business here selling rubber dinghies, which are used illegally for R3 000. I will be paying a visit to that business shortly."
Motsoaledi said that the border management authority was being enacted, although the acting commissioner had just started work on New Year's Day. The defence force is set to deploy helicopters to patrol the Limpopo River, and the South African police service will be in boats to stop immigrants from entering South Africa illegally.
"We are worried," he concluded. "We have said this before - that we heard rumours about people who will come with fraudulent certificates, and we have found them, and we are returning them. We are continuing to arrest people without legal documents - either Covid-19 certificates or passports."