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Swazi Students Will Be Arrested if Found without Study Permits

African Eye News
8 October 1998

(October 8, 1998), African Eye News - Jeppes Reef - Swaziland students who are studying in South Africa will be shown no mercy if they are caught crossing the border without valid documents during their final examinations, border police warned on Thursday.

Jeppes Reef Border Post spokesman, Inspector Vusi Nyambi, said that of the 77 illegal Swazi immigrants arrested last month, most were either students studying in South Africa or labourers working on South African farms.

"Even though students don't cross the border on a daily basis, they are one of our biggest problems. We want to warn them that unless they prepare their study permits in time, we will not show them any mercy, whether they are writing final year examinations or not," said Nyambi.

Nyambi stressed that all arrested illegal immigrants are handed to the Home Affairs Department for repatriation and that students would not receive special treatment.

"There is no easy road to South Africa, everyone must follow the proper channels," he explained. He also appealed to farmers in the border areas to stop hiring illegal immigrants as they simply perpetuated the influx of illegals to the country. - African Eye News Service (South Africa)