51 People Found in Truck in Free State, 28 Undocumented Foreigners Among Those Unsafely Transported
- 47 adults and four children were found inside the trailer of a truck on the N1 near Bloemfontein
- 28 of the people were found to be undocumented foreigners from Lesotho, and they were arrested
- South Africans are concerned with how frequently illegal immigrants attempt to enter the country
Source: Getty Images
South Africans are concerned about how easily undocumented foreigners can enter the country.
Social media users are weighing in again on the issue after 28 illegal immigrants from Lesotho were arrested.
The foreigners were arrested after they were caught being transported in the back of a truck in the Free State.
51 People found in truck
On Sunday, 22 December 2024, authorities in the Free State discovered 51 people being transported in the back of a truck. The discovery was made after the truck was stopped on the N1 near Bloemfontein.
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While conducting an inspection on the truck, authorities heard suspicious noises coming from one of the trailers.
When authorities inspected the source of the noise, they found 47 adults and four children, the youngest of whom was just nine months old.
Undocumented foreigners among the 51
28 of the 51 were found to be undocumented foreign nationals. The 26 men and two females were all arrested for the contravention of the Immigration Act.
The truck was impounded, and the driver was charged for transporting people without an operating license.
It's not the first time drivers have been arrested for attempting to smuggle people into the country. On 11 August, taxi and bus drivers were nabbed for attempting to bring 45 undocumented foreigners into the country.
On 5 January, a number of illegal immigrants were found being transported in a bus in Limpopo.
Social media users frustrated with news
South Africans weighed in on the news, with many expressing frustration such cases happened so often.
Leon Naidoo said:
“Good job, but there must be so many that have got through.”
Teresa Perestrelo stated:
“With the unrest in Mozambique, hundreds will come here illegally, so expect more trucks full of people.”
Ursela Stroh said:
“Good. Send them back packing to where they came from. It’s time South Africa’s borders get closed to other African countries. I bet there are more foreigners in South Africa than true South Africans. Not okay.
"Many of them come to the country to do criminal activities/bring in diseases, and take advantage of South Africa's system/jobs, etc, when true South Africans suffer. South Africans first.”
Xhanti Gantolo suggested:
“Forfeit the truck to the state. Charge the owner and driver. GNU together with the SADC must call for fresh elections in Mozambique, otherwise this will not be the last truck.”
Border officials arrest taxi driver
In a related article, Border Management Authorities stopped a taxi from entering the country carrying 25 foreigners on 11 December 2024.
Briefly News reported that 20 of the foreigners were found to be children who have been handed over to Zimbabwean child welfare.
South Africans weren't celebrating the news, with social media users saying many more more gain entry into the country daily.
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Source: Briefly News
