Beitbridge border: People with fake Covid-19 results banned from SA for 5 years

Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says at least 50 fake Covid-19 tests were found at the Beitbridge Border Post with Zimbabwe.

Thousands of returning workers from Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Mozambique are stuck at the border waiting to be granted entry into South Africa.

All travellers are required to have a negative Covid-19 test that is not more 72 hours old.

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People who already have their Covid-19 certificates are queueing separately from those who still require on-site testing, says Siya Qoza, the spokesperson for Minister Motsoaledi.

Qoza says port health officials are ensuring that all travellers are tested before entry into the country using rapid antigen tests.

They are also verifying the authenticity of Covid-19 PCR tests from other laboratories, he tells CapeTalk.

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Those who have valid PCR tests are screened and allowed to enter, provided they have valid immigration papers.

Those who present fake Covid-19 tests are denied entry and banned from entering South Africa for a period of five years.

We are conducting the tests because we want to make sure that everyone who comes into South Africa is Covid-19 negative.

Siya Qoza - Spokesperson - Home Affairs Minister

The health officials at the border look at Covid-19 certificates.... If they suspect that it may be fake, they then call the laboratory that conducted the test. If that lab does not exist, they then deny entry to those people because the certificate would be fake.

Siya Qoza - Spokesperson - Home Affairs Minister

In addition to that, immigration officials would then ban those people for a period of five years.

Siya Qoza - Spokesperson - Home Affairs Minister

The primary interest for us is to make sure that anyone who comes into South Africa has got a valid Covid-19 negative test. People who present fake certificates are not allowed into the country for a period of five years.

Siya Qoza - Spokesperson - Home Affairs Minister

People who are found to be Covid-19 positive at the port are not allowed to come in. They would then be returned to their country of origin until they test negative.

Siya Qoza - Spokesperson - Home Affairs Minister

The people there were not observing Covid-19 protocols. The immigration officials, police, and the army moved in to ensure that people were complying.

Siya Qoza - Spokesperson - Home Affairs Minister

Listen to the discussion on Breakfast with Refilwe Moloto:

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