Smugglers Construct Wooden Bridge Across Limpopo River
Daring smugglers have built a wooden bridge across the Limpopo River in Beitbridge which they use to smuggle goods and border jumpers between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The pole and log structure that has been under construction for more than a week is located upstream of the New Limpopo Toll Bridge.
NewsDay reports that the construction has been taking place before the eyes of the police, whose mounted unit has been watching on as the illegal construction went on.
Efforts to get a comment from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) were fruitless as national spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi’s mobile phone went unanswered.
The builders regularly stop to “process” goods into Zimbabwe from South Africa for fees charged according to sizes of consignments.
People are charged per individual between R10 and R100.
The bridge sidesteps the official crossing point, taking advantage of the fact that the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe remains closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
All goods through the new bridge are not subject to official border formalities.
The log and pole structure’s embankment is on the South African side of the Limpopo River.
Many people continue to use undesignated entry points despite reports which say thousands have been arrested while some have been robbed.
Some have been dying in the Limpopo river after their makeshift boats capsized while some are murdered by robbers.
More: NewsDay
