Gunshot, knife stab murder victims repatriated from South Africa
Officials say 100 bodies of dead Zimbabweans pass through Beitbridge every week
By Staff Reporter
Zimbabweans killed through gunshots, knife stabs and road accidents are part of the average 100 bodies transported from South Africa through the Beitbridge border post every week, authorities have said.
“The major death causes are chronic illnesses, injuries, gun shots, stab wound and motor vehicles accidents,” Beitbridge Port Health Officer Silibaziso Nkala told journalists during a recent media tour organised by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA).
“On the export side we process several bodies, mainly of crew members or truck drivers who die during their journeys through Zimbabwe.”
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According to Census 2022 data released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), Zimbabwe had the most migrants coming into South Africa, with over one million of its citizens living in that country.
A lot have been caught up in the neighbouring country’s spiralling crime statistics, which include murder.
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While some are repatriated to for burial, a lot more Zimbabweans are buried in South Africa, a sign that the murder statistics involving Zimbabweans could still be higher than reported.
According to an article published in March by the Institute of Security Studies, South Africa now has the second highest murder rate in the world. Only Jamaica is worse.
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Official statistics say 27 272 killed through murder in between 2022 and 2023 in South Africa last year, the highest number from the previous record of 27 000 of 1995/6.
