MAPUTO – Mozambique has received 490 citizens deported from South Africa for allegedly staying in the country illegally, as authorities renewed warnings that visa-free entry does not grant permission to work.
The deportees arrived on Saturday and were received by the Maputo Provincial Directorate of Migration, which coordinated their screening, registration and referral.
The Zimbabwe Mail, reporting on information published by Mozambican newspaper Domingo, said the operation involved the National Migration Service (SENAMI), the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), the Health Ministry, border police and the Republic of Mozambique Police.
Carmen Mazenga, spokesperson for the provincial migration directorate, said the returnees had been advised to travel back to their areas of origin and apply for ordinary passports through migration offices. They were also warned about the legal consequences of irregular migration.
Mazenga said Mozambican citizens intending to work in South Africa or other foreign countries must obtain the appropriate employment visas before taking up jobs.
She stressed that neither a tourist visa nor the visa-exemption arrangement between Mozambique and South Africa authorises employment.
“Anyone who works on a tourist visa immediately becomes an illegal immigrant, is detained and deported, and loses all the money invested,” Mazenga said, urging prospective workers to apply for work visas through the relevant embassies.
The deportations highlight the distinction between permission to enter a country and authorisation to work there, an issue facing migrants seeking employment opportunities across the region.
