Travellers to South Africa carrying fake coronavirus test certificates will be punished if caught, Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said.
The minister said this on Saturday during a visit to the country’s northern Beitbridge border with Zimbabwe to check the situation following days of chaos on the Limpopo River entry point which divides the two neighbours.
He visited a mobile Covid-19 testing site at the border to monitor compliance with Covid-19 regulations, including the checking of coronavirus certificates for those entering the country.
According to Motsoaledi, health officials at Beitbridge caught 17 travellers using fake Covid-19 test certificates.
These offenders “will face the full might of the law,” the minister said, adding that anyone caught with fake certificates “must be stopped” from entering the country.
“He is a fraudster. You can’t just come with your fraudulent documents. He must be returned,” Motsoaledi instructed the border officials.
In addition to apprehending those with fake health documents, Motsoaledi said his government was implementing strict measures to stop people entering the country illegally.
This was due to rampant crossings by some travellers who swim across the crocodile-infected Limpopo River to enter the country.
Helicopters were now being deployed along South Africa’s borders to monitor an influx of undocumented travellers trying to enter the country using uncharted routes, the minister added.
NM/jn/APA