Crackdown nets illegals entering SA via Swaziland

MBABANE – Swaziland’s airport will no longer be the focal point of an illegal immigration operation after a police crackdown netted dozens of Asians destined for work in South Africa. Nationals from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and elsewhere, allegedly helped by a Swaziland resident from the People’s Republic of China, have targeted Swaziland as a “soft underbelly of access to South Africa,” a police source told FTW. The illegals first fly to Johannesburg and then take a flight to Swaziland, where they tell immigration authorities they have arrived for a visit. Entering the country with a two-week tourist visa, they jump the border fence into South Africa, where compatriots are ready with accommodation and jobs. “South African immigration officials have raised concern about people who claim to be visiting Swaziland but end up in South Africa,” chief immigrations officer Dickson Mkhonta told a media briefing. About 30 illegals have been apprehended after Swazi immigration became more thorough in its screening of alleged tourists, requesting local contacts and addresses as well as the traveller’s assets. Three men from China reportedly had only R150 between them to splurge on their “dream Swaziland holiday.” Word has apparently spread about using Swaziland’s airport as easy entry to South Africa. Immigrant authorities have also apprehended phony tourists from Ghana and other African nations.