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Report on Outreach Foundation Counselling Centre's visit to Komatipoort October 2018

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Published by Outreach Foundation, 2019-01-25 06:43:42

Report on Outreach Foundation Counselling Centre's visit to Komatipoort October 2018

Report on Outreach Foundation Counselling Centre's visit to Komatipoort October 2018

Keywords: O

Information-gathering visit
by

Counselling Centre
in

Komatipoort, Mpumalanga
17 – 19 October 2018

Report by Sizwe Bottoman and Johan Robyn

Table of Contents

About Komatipoort ............................................................................................................................... 3
Crime profile ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Undocumented children ................................................................................................................... 4
Language barrier ............................................................................................................................... 4
Understanding our clients................................................................................................................. 4

Interviews ............................................................................................................................................. 5
At the border post to Mozambique .................................................................................................. 5
An Interview with a border official ............................................................................................... 5
Into Mozambique we went ........................................................................................................... 7
In and around Komatipoort .............................................................................................................. 9
Worker at accommodation ........................................................................................................... 9
15 year-old-boy........................................................................................................................... 10
Cell phone and clothes merchant ............................................................................................... 10
Two young boys .......................................................................................................................... 10
Taxi driver ................................................................................................................................... 10
Shop owner................................................................................................................................. 11
14-year-old boy........................................................................................................................... 11
Somalian ..................................................................................................................................... 11
Police Station .............................................................................................................................. 12
Orlando ........................................................................................................................................... 13
Young boy ................................................................................................................................... 13
Pre-school teacher ...................................................................................................................... 14
Clinic matron............................................................................................................................... 15
Border to Mozambique................................................................................................................... 16
South African Border Information Official .................................................................................. 16
Taxi driver ................................................................................................................................... 16
Local farmer/businessman.......................................................................................................... 17
Swaziland ........................................................................................................................................ 18
Workers and student .................................................................................................................. 18

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 19
Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 19
Works Cited ........................................................................................................................................ 20
Table of photographs.......................................................................................................................... 20

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 2

About Komatipoort

Komatipoort is a town situated in South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province at the junction of the
Crocodile and Komati Rivers. These two rivers meet and then flow through the Lebombo Mountains
into Mozambique.

The town is located 5km from the border to Mozambique, 65km from the border to Swaziland and is
8km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger National Park. Komatipoort is the main rail and
road link between South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland.

It is a town that hosts thousands of tourists from all over the world each year as it is so close to the
Kruger National Park. The town is also well-known for hosting the Samora Machel Monument.
Mozambique’s former president, Samora Machel died in a plane crash near Komatipoort, in the
Lebombo Mountain range in 1986.

According to a report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, Roads and Transport on
Community Safety, Security and Liaison during the oversight visit to the Nkomazi Local Municipality
in the period 23-26 June 2015: Oversight Visits to the Schoemansdal and Komatipoort Police
Stations, the estimated population the Komatipoort police station looks after is 85,000 (again these
figures are from 2015 and could indeed be more now). This figure consists of residents from
Komatipoort, Hectorspruit, the Marloth Park reservation area, Dindela, Mjejane and Orlando
informal settlement as well as 91 farms.

Crime profile

The report states that many people in this policing precinct commute daily from Tonga and Naas for
employment on the farms, while others are employed in Malelane. Many employed in the area
travel from Mozambique into South Africa on a daily basis.

The crime profile cited in the report was as follows:

• The main crime generators in the policing precinct are the usage of drugs by the youth; the
lack of recreational facilities for the youth; the increase of taverns in the policing area; lack
of compliance to the Liquor Act by liquor outlets; the lack of job opportunities; the
inadequate monitoring and information of parolees; inadequate monitoring of second hand
goods dealers’ registers as community members tend to buy stolen goods, and it’s hard to
monitor this; undocumented foreign national persons that use their businesses as
accommodation after hours; and related crimes.

• The major challenges relative to crime are poor infrastructural development in the three
informal settlements; lack of tertiary institutions; lack of street names and poor street
lighting of streets and passages; the lack of sport and recreational facilities and the poor
maintenance of existing recreational facilities; the negative impact of the fast-growing
population and the influx of undocumented persons across the border and mountains.

During our visit to the area, and following our own investigations, we found that people from
Limpopo, Gauteng and the Free State live and work in the area as well as Swazis and many
Mozambicans.

In addition, after our visit to the informal settlement Orlando, we were told by the residents there
that crime in the area has reduced as the relationship between the residents and the police has
improved, and the locals no longer tolerate criminal behaviour there. We found the area to be a
combination of locals and non-locals.

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Undocumented children

What was evident was the lack of facilities for some of the children who reach school-going age. The
children in the area attend preschools, but when they reach the age they need to go to school, some
of the children are unable to go as they do not have papers. These children are unable to have a
formal education.

This observation has been backed by an article in the Mail and Guardian of 3 March 2017 titled SA
Schools boot out Swazi, Moz children over missing IDs.

The article states that schools close to the Swaziland and Mozambican borders are refusing to admit
hundreds if not thousands, of learners as they don’t have South African birth certificates and identity
documents. Some are illegally in South Africa so don’t have the required papers such as a study
permit, or a temporary or permanent residence permit either.

But what is bizarre, says the author, is that many of the children of Mozambican and Swazi parents
were born in South Africa but have been unable to get their birth certificates and identity
documents although many have been living in the country for more than 15 years.

According to the South African Citizenship Act, 1995 (Act 88 of 1995) which was amended by the
South African Citizenship Amendment Act, 2010 (Act No. 17 of 2010) which came into operation on
1 January 2013, applications for naturalisation may only be received by the office if the applicant has
been on a Permanent Residence Permit for a period of ten (10) years from the date of obtaining
Permanent Residence (PR) in the Republic of South Africa. No application may be received by the
office if the applicant has less than the prescribed ten (10) year period.

The article also quotes some children whose lives have fallen apart after not being allowed to write
their Matric or go to school. One such story is that of a seven-year-old boy who should have been in
grade one but who stays at home all day cleaning the house and looking after his three brothers and
sisters because he doesn’t have the right papers.

Language barrier

Our visit to the local clinic was informative. The matron gave us information on the various types of
illnesses or conditions they treat there as well as the challenges they face. One of the biggest
challenges the staff have is the language barrier. The majority of the patients coming to the clinic are
Mozambicans. None of the staff speaks Portuguese or the other Mozambican local languages. The
staff have to rely on the person who has brought the patient to them, to translate. They have no
idea whether what they have told the patient has been translated properly or in its entirety. An
example the matron gave us is a pregnant woman who needs to take ARVs and comes to the clinic
with her husband, who will translate for her. The staff will tell them how important it is to take the
medication daily and to eat properly etc., but the husband could be telling her everything but the
importance of taking her medication. It’s not even evident that the husband can speak or
understand enough English to adequately translate the medical terms.

Understanding our clients
While in Komatipoort, we crossed the border into Mozambique to get an idea of what both sides
look like at the border crossing. We also wanted to get an idea of the challenges that could be faced
by those crossing into South Africa and back into Mozambique.

We spoke to border police and individuals in various areas during our stay and found it extremely
helpful in our quest to understand some of the challenges our clients face crossing into South Africa
as well as the environment and problems they may encounter during their first days in this country.

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 4

Interviews

At the border post to Mozambique

Figure 1 Lebombo/Ressano Garcia Border Post from Mozambique side

Figure 2 At the border between South Africa and Mozambique - inside Mozambique

An Interview with a border official
We were lucky enough to chat to a border official on the South African side. He told us that more
than 1,000 people pass through the borders daily, but most of these people do not have passports
and go through the borders legally. Some people cross into South Africa to purchase goods and then
go straight back into Mozambique. Others cross into South Africa and never go back to Mozambique,
and the officials have no idea of what has happened to them.

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 5

As we probed the official to get more information about the people coming into South Africa
without documentation, he stated that sometimes there are so many that it is overwhelming and
they can’t control the influx.

He showed us places where people come into the country. There are soldiers who patrol those
areas. But people find new ways to enter the country, and they cannot always stop them or find
these areas. He said that a lot of the crossing takes place at night.

Figure 3 The mountain where illegal crossing into South Africa occurs

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 6

Figure 4 Bicycles laden with goods and people carrying huge amounts of goods enter into Mozambique from
South Africa and vice versa

Into Mozambique we went
We passed the border into Mozambique to see what is happening on that side. We found many
people sitting around talking or just ‘loitering’, others sell soft goods, alcohol and airtime and some
people change money. As we moved more into Mozambique, we tried to approach some of the
people to chat. But we realised that there is a language barrier. They speak Portuguese, and we
don’t. There were informal shops and stalls where people were plaiting hair, selling second-hand
clothing, bread, cold drinks, fruits and vegetables and a young boy approached us selling alcohol (2M
Beer). Everyone was looking at us and could tell we were not from the area or that we could speak
the language. As we carried on walking, we observed that there were a lot of people who were
unemployed. Some taxis and buses were taking people into Mozambique and people were talking
and laughing with each other, and there were some who would come and talk to us or smile at us.
This, as far as we were concerned, implied that they were welcoming us (non-verbal).

Crossing back into South Africa was not hard for us, but there were many people who were rushing
to catch the bus that would take them into Komatipoort. There are a number of busses that come
through to the border during the day to collect people and take them to Komatipoort.

We then moved to our accommodation. It was raining, and we prepared ourselves for the next day
of our Komatipoort trip.

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 7

Figure 5 Informal traders inside Mozambique near to the border to South Africa
Figure 6 Informal traders inside Mozambique near to the border to South Africa

Figure 7 Informal traders inside Mozambique near to the border to South Africa Page 8
Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018

In and around Komatipoort

Figure 8 Ladies who exchange money on the black market sit around quite openly at malls in Komatipoort

Figure 9 Ladies who exchange money on the black market sit around quite openly at malls in Komatipoort

Worker at accommodation

We woke up early in the morning and managed to have an interview with the worker at the place
where we were staying. We asked him to tell us about the people in Komatipoort and where he
comes from, as well as the people working for them, and the feeling in the town. He told us that the
place we stayed in is secure and there is not too much corruption in the area. He said that in

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 9

Komatipoort and the area he comes from has the same challenge: unemployment. He told us that
the people that are working at the lodge are South African and that he hasn’t noticed any animosity
between the locals and foreigners.

We then moved to get more information at the border between South Africa and Mozambique and
then interviewed people in Komatipoort’s town.

15 year-old-boy

We met a 15-year-old boy whose origin is Maputo. The boy is unable to speak English. We managed
to speak in Tsonga with him. At first, he seemed to be uncomfortable as he did not know us, but we
explained who we were and why we were there. He told us that he is from Mozambique and that he
does not have parents here. He is staying with his brother, and he is not going to school. He said that
he has never been to school and he does not have documents. The boy mentioned that he would
love to go to school, but unfortunately, he is from the other country and is here without any valid
documents.

Cell phone and clothes merchant

We moved on to talk with a young man who is selling cell phone accessories. He told us to speak to
the man next to him as he is from Naas in Mpumalanga and he cannot tell us more about the place
and people. We did so. This man sells clothes. He told us that he is from Mozambique but that he
has the necessary documents to be in South Africa and also has a Hawker’s licence. He also told us
that there is a place called “Orlando” where its occupants are mainly Mozambicans. As we were
talking to him, another boy who was unable to share with us his story gave us a pamphlet from the
butchery. The pamphlet was written in Portuguese and had the store’s specials on it. We were
pleased to see that the merchants around the area had recognised the mix of people and were
trying to communicate in other languages. We thanked the guy and moved to the taxi rank.

Two young boys

We then found two boys sitting and smoking. We introduced ourselves to them, and they told us
their names. As we were talking to them, they told us that they are from Mozambique and they do
not have documents. They came to look for employment. The one boy told us that they work in
South Africa, and take money home to Mozambique. Then they return to South Africa to work again.
We asked them to tell us about the crime rate. They told us that there used to be a crime problem,
but that is no longer the case as the community beats up whoever does crime in that area. The
community also burns people who commit crimes to death. Hence there is no longer a crime
problem. We thanked them and moved on.

Taxi driver

We tried to speak to a taxi driver in the taxi rank. At first, he was reluctant to talk to us as one of the
boys who was standing there came to listen to what we were talking about. We started asking
where are the taxis go. They mentioned that the taxis are going to Naas, Mangweni and they take
people who are shopping and working there. The taxi driver also told us that his taxi goes to
Mozambique. We asked how much the taxi to Mozambique is, and more about his passengers that
cross the borders. He mentioned that they could not take people without passports as if they do,
they can get penalised by the authorities. We thanked them and moved on to the shops that were
next to us.

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 10

Figure 10 A street in Komatipoort

Shop owner

We found three men talking outside the shops. We asked them some questions, but they referred
us to the owner of the shop. The owner was talking to a person who seems to work with him. They
were both Portuguese speakers. We explained our mission and what we do at Outreach Foundation.
The owner told us that he does not have a problem with anything in the area and that everything is
working well there in Komatiepoort. He did not seem to have any issues with foreigners or crime.
We thanked them for the information and their time.

14-year-old boy
A 14-year-old boy passed by us. We called and asked to talk to him. The boy was selling eggs. He
told us that he is from Mozambique and he has no documents. He has never gone to school as there
is no one to help with the money for school or for getting his documents in order. As we left, he
continued to walk on and try to sell his eggs. He had very little understanding of English and could
barely speak it too.

Somalian

We moved on to a shop that is owned by a Somali. We introduced ourselves and explained our
mission. The shop owner received us well and was keen to talk to us. He mentioned that one of the
biggest challenges they have are that of obtaining legal documentation. He has to go to Cape Town
for his documents, and his brother has to go to Pretoria to get his documents. The shop owner gave
us a bit of background, according to his observation, of the people in the area. One such observation
is that the people of Komatipoort love meat and they buy a lot of meat in Butcheries. It’s a good
business to go into. He also asked us three times if we want to open an office in that place. He thinks
there is a huge need for the services we offer. He mentioned that whenever we come to
Komatipoort, we must come to his shop to see him. He stays in Naas. He told us about Orlando and
told us to go there.

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 11

Figure 11 Entrance to the Komatipoort Police Station

Police Station

At the police station, we were lucky enough to chat with a detective who was eager to share
information on the area and to answer the questions we posed. He shared Komatiepoort’s story and
a bit of the history, and what crime used to be like. He told us that crime is no longer high as the
people of Orlando are taking the situation into their own hands and institute mob justice. The
detective also told us the challenge they have about people staying in South Africa without
documents.

Interestingly, the challenge starts when they die. The police have no idea who they are going to call
as the person has no identification and no information on their family members. The government
then has to do a paupers burial. In case the family eventually comes to find them, the police have to
take them to the mortuary first so that they can look at the album. If they identify their family
members, they can then take the body home to give them a proper burial. The detective continued
to explain the situation of communities taking the law into their own hands. He told us more about
the mob justice undertaken and the burning of people. The situation is hard for the police to control.
The detective also told us about the unemployment rate. He explained that other nationalities
occupy Komatipoort and that deporting those without documentation only really occurs when a
crime has been committed. But, even though deported, these people often find their way back into
South Africa. He also told us that in the area there is a strong Indian community and these people,
whether in business or owning shops, have formed a strong network. The detective explained that
there is a high rate of unaccompanied and undocumented children. Some are working on the farms
and sugarcanes. He also told us that concerning travel, many of the people in the area travel to Naas
and Mangweni from Komatiepoort.

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 12

Orlando

Figure 12 Orlando Township
Young boy
We then went to the Orlando township so that we could chat to some of the community members.
We first stopped at the Pre-primary school. There were no children or teachers as we were told that
there was a teachers meeting. The few children who pitched up for school were sent home. As we
waited at the gate, we saw a passer-by who offered to call one of the pre-school teachers. During
our wait, we spoke to one young boy who told us that there is no school that day due to the
teacher’s meeting. We asked him about the schools in the area. He said there were very few schools
and that once they reach grade 11, they have to travel to Naas where they can complete their grade
12. It is quite a distance to go, and they have to take a bus and walk. The transport money becomes
an issue. He said the other challenge they have in the area and with school is the documentation
problem. As we were standing and talking to the youth, some young children passed by, and we
were told that they were also not going to school.

Figure 13 Inside Orlando Township

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 13

Pre-school teacher

The pre-school teacher from the school in the area came to chat to us. We introduced ourselves and
told her the purpose of our visit. The teacher told us that there are mixed communities in Orlando.
There are people from Mozambique, a few from Zimbabwe and some from South Africa. She said
they came there for work purposes. She said a lot of the community members have no documents
and they work as farm labourers. She said that one will find mostly single parents and orphans or
children on their own as their parents are still in Mozambique. She also told us the combined school
in the area only goes up to grade11, and then the children have to go to Naas to complete grade 12.
She added that the challenge in the area is the lack of documentation for the children. The lack
thereof makes it difficult to send them to another school. She also said that once children reach a
school-going age, and are undocumented, they cannot continue with their schooling. The teacher
told us that there are no recreational activities, no sports grounds and that in December it becomes
so quiet there as people go home to Mozambique or elsewhere. She mentioned that there is one
shebeen in the area, many churches, and Tonga Hospital is far away. The teacher told us that the
community is very friendly and that crime was not an issue. We thanked the teacher and left for the
clinic.

Figure 14 Outreach Foundation talking to the pre-school teacher in Orlando

Figure 15 The pre-school in Orlando Page 14
Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018

Clinic matron

At the clinic, we met with the Matron. She saw us without an appointment. We were honoured with
that kind of open and welcoming reception. The Matron told us the challenges she has at the clinic.
The number one challenge is documentation, then the language barrier. Sometimes they feel like
the interpreter does not interpret what he or she is asked to interpret because people are doing the
opposite of what they are told. She shared the area’s HIV statistics: Mpumalanga is the second
highest in the country, and the district is number one in the province. We asked whether
collaboration on awareness-raising and interpreting would assist her and her staff. She was very
excited at the prospect of us bringing in a Cultural Mediator to interpret and the assistance. She also
mentioned that some of the patient’s husbands came to work on the farms in the area and get sick.
When they die, the widowed parents have a huge challenge with communicating as they don’t speak
a word of English. Communication is a huge issue. The matron also shared that many of the patients
come from areas as far away as 1,000km even from Maputo. She said that trying to get information
on the importance of ARVs is a challenge to get as they cannot communicate well with one another.
Other challenges they face in the area is that of teenage pregnancies and snake bites. We thanked
the matron, and we will do a follow-up to arrange the collaboration and assistance we chatted
about.

Figure 16 The services rendered at the clinic in Orlando

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 15

Border to Mozambique

Figure 17 Outreach Foundation assessing the situation in Mozambique

South African Border Information Official

We went back to the border between South Africa and Mozambique and met with one of the South
African Border Information Officials. We asked her to tell us about the activities at the border. She
took us around the area and introduced us to some of the other officials. She told us about the
illegal crossing in the mountains and how people used to jump borders. She also told us that the
defence force is digging a huge hole between the fence and South Africa that will, hopefully, thwart
the illegal movement of vehicles between borders. The official also told us that people are deported
daily but that as quickly as they are deported, they reappear in South Africa. She showed us a van
that was deporting some people. On that day, there was a little child who was being deported. She
mentioned that she sees a lot of unaccompanied children and that there are a lot of unaccompanied
and undocumented children coming into the country. The official also told us that the border closes
at midnight seven days a week, but that during the time it closes and opens, some people illegally
cross the border into South Africa.

Taxi driver

We met with a taxi driver who travels from the border to Komatipoort daily. He told us that there
used to be dagga taken from Mozambique to South Africa but that it is no longer happening. He also
told us that since they are working outside the borders, they do not ask questions about where the
people come from or ask for passports etc. They just take people to their destinations.

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 16

Figure 18 Police regularly inspect Taxis for illegal activities (photograph was taken from the Corridor
Gazette)

Local farmer/businessman
We chatted to a local farmer who had just come back from a teaching fishing trip near to the border.
He said that he likes to show foreign nationals how to fish and become independent. He also said
that he regularly gets asked for jobs by migrants, but that he cannot hire anyone that does not have
documentation as the fines are hefty. He was sympathetic to the migrant’s plight regarding
documentation and unemployment and wished that things could be different for them.

Figure 19 Sizwe talking to a local farmer about the situation in Komatipoort

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 17

Swaziland

Workers and student

We reached Swaziland, where we were able to interview some workers as well as a learner. One of
the workers shared with us that he comes from an area called Bhunya and that he came to
Mhlambayatsi to get a job. Forests surround the area, and he works at a plantation. The challenge he
encounters is the alcohol problem in the area. Otherwise, he said, the area is fine. He told us that
there are a lot of other nationalities in the area, but they are all working and they have documents.
The challenge, however, is from those coming from Zimbabwe as they do not have documents. He
mentioned that people from Zimbabwe are not even ashamed of the fact that they don’t have
documents. They are quite happy to tell people that they came to the country using back roads
where they are not asked for passports. One of the other workers also shared that people who
migrate to Swaziland often impregnate young girls and single women and then leave the country.
The country then faces a problem of teenage and single parents. Once they are gone, they are gone.
He also mentioned that people are migrating to South Africa due to seek greener pastures. He said
that although Swaziland has jobs available and their own factories, the pay is low. He also told us
that prostitution is prevalent in the country, but it is not allowed. The same can be said about drugs.
Drugs are not popular as the laws are strict. If you are caught with drugs, they will jail you for a long
time. There are people who sell dagga to South Africans. He also told us that the number of
Zimbabweans and Mozambicans in the country are increasing and they do not have documentation.
He stated that he wishes people from other countries can do things the right way by getting their
documentation in order. The student shared that they also have all nationalities in her school and
they had substance abuse challenges, particularly dagga and alcohol. She said the school is dealing
with these cases.

Figure 20 Forests of Mhlambayatsi, Swaziland where a lot of logging companies hire foreigners

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 18

Conclusion

This report serves as a guide for us to understand the economic, political and social impact
of migration on the everyday lives of people crossing the Lebombo border post between
Mozambique and South-Africa. The situation of migration in Southern Africa is complex, and
the diaspora on the African continent affects the economic growth of African countries
especially Mozambique.

The streets of Komatipoort and the local township “Orlando” is filled with young
Mozambican children. According to a Mail & Guardian article of October 5 to 11 2018, “A
policeman the Mail & Guardian spoke to, said that “between one and five [illegal immigrant
children] a week were caught”. During our visit this picture was evident, and it became real.
The immigrant picture is even more real in my local community where young Mozambicans
work as gardeners and partake in illegal mining in the gold mines in Johannesburg.

Recommendations

We as the Outreach Foundation, need to respond to the plight of a lost generation of young
people. We are a country in peril with regard to our youth. As a community development
agency that facilitates change in communities, I would like to recommend the following.

1. We implement an English teaching course amongst Mozambican youth on the
border. (Speaking English will improve their ability to communicate, earn money and
improve access into services);

2. That we conduct workshops with community leaders, elders, church pastors,
government officials in the Ressano Garcia area (the immediate border town after
the Lebombo border) and, together with the Komatipoort community, strengthen
social cohesion, social integration and also work on stereotype reduction;

3. That we start a shelter that can provide transition accommodation for
undocumented, unaccompanied children giving them access to health, counselling
and family reunification (in partnership with IOM and Red Cross); and

4. That we open up a SADEC office, probably in Zimbabwe as a key partnership with
LUCSA, ELM and Outreach Foundation. This will be a short term intervention
focussing on a 3- to 5-year process. Training, empowering and strengthening migrant
communities to become economically viable would be our focus.

I firmly believe we, as the Outreach Foundation, have the human capacity to transform
communities in the SADEC region.

Conclusion and recommendations by Johan Robyn

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 19

Works Cited

Affairs, S. A. (n.d.). South African Citizenship Act, 1995 (Act 88 of 1995) was amended by the South
African Citizenship Amendment Act, 2010 (Act No. 17 of 2010).

Govender, P. (2017, March 03). SA schools boot out Swazi, Moz children over missing IDs. Mail and
Guardian, p. Online.

Hon PS Ngomana, A. c. (2015). Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Works, Roads and
Transport on Community Safety, Security and Liaison during the oversight visit to the Nkomazi Local
Municipality in the period 23-26 June 2015: Oversight Visits to the Schoemansdal and Komatipoort.

Mhlanga, C. (2018, May 31). Police sweep Komatipoort for illegal activities. Corridor Gazette.
Komatipoort, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Table of photographs

Figure 1 Lebombo/Ressano Garcia Border Post from Mozambique side.............................................. 5
Figure 2 At the border between South Africa and Mozambique - inside Mozambique ........................ 5
Figure 3 The mountain where illegal crossing into South Africa occurs................................................ 6
Figure 4 Bicycles laden with goods and people carrying huge amounts of goods enter into
Mozambique from South Africa and vice versa ................................................................................... 7
Figure 5 Informal traders inside Mozambique near to the border to South Africa .............................. 8
Figure 6 Informal traders inside Mozambique near to the border to South Africa .............................. 8
Figure 7 Informal traders inside Mozambique near to the border to South Africa .............................. 8
Figure 8 Ladies who exchange money on the black market sit around quite openly at malls in
Komatipoort.......................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 9 Ladies who exchange money on the black market sit around quite openly at malls in
Komatipoort.......................................................................................................................................... 9
Figure 10 A street in Komatipoort....................................................................................................... 11
Figure 11 Entrance to the Komatipoort Police Station........................................................................ 12
Figure 12 Orlando Township............................................................................................................... 13
Figure 13 Inside Orlando Township .................................................................................................... 13
Figure 14 Outreach Foundation talking to the pre-school teacher in Orlando ................................... 14
Figure 15 The pre-school in Orlando................................................................................................... 14
Figure 16 The services rendered at the clinic in Orlando .................................................................... 15
Figure 18 Outreach Foundation assessing the situation in Mozambique ........................................... 16
Figure 19 Police regularly inspect Taxis for illegal activities (photograph was taken from the Corridor
Gazette) .............................................................................................................................................. 17
Figure 20 Sizwe talking to a local farmer about the situation in Komatipoort .................................... 17
Figure 21 Forests of Mhlambayatsi, Swaziland where a lot of logging companies hire foreigners ..... 18

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 20

YOUR FUTURE FOUNDATION

30 Edith Cavell Street, Hillbrow
P O Box 17098, Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa

Telephone number: 011 720 7011
Email address: [email protected]

Report by Outreach Foundation on information-gathering visit to Komatipoort Oct 2018 Page 21


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