Editorial Comment
STATISTICS presented to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence while investigating the status of the country’s border posts indicate that a total of 16 187 people were arrested between January and June last year for illegally crossing in and out of Zimbabwe.
The numbers also show that some 186 immigration officials have been implicated in corruption cases of which 177 were convicted and nine were acquitted.
What these statistics show us is that, what is happening at our border posts is in a big way linked to Zimbabwe’s poorly performing economy.
We are sorry to say that arresting border jumpers and corrupt immigration officials will not do much to rid our borders of the corruption scourge; neither will it stop desperate Zimbabweans from illegally crossing to and from neighbouring countries.
What is happening at the country’s borders is indicative of a failed economy that is breeding all manner of illegalities and for anyone to try and stop these vices is akin to a dog chasing its own tail.
Zimbabwe’s economic fundamentals are now so mismatching that all government is doing is to scratch at the symptoms by continually arresting people for border jumping and immigration officials for facilitating their illegal exit and re-entry into the country.
For all we know, those being arrested for border jumping and corruption could evidently be a mere fraction of the numbers of people who are illegally crossing Zimbabwe’s borders.
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Is it not high time the new dispensation sorted out Zimbabwe’s ailing economy? Give people the promised jobs and investment.
With a ticking economy there is absolutely no incentive for anyone to illegally cross the borders.
With a well-functioning economy there is no need for anyone to seek to bribe immigration officials. If the officials are well-paid and citizens are not struggling to make ends meet, then corruption would not be so rampant.
It’s the economy stupid! Fix it and all these prevailing challenges will cease to exist or at least they will be lessened.
