Nicola Simmonds Irregular Quotations

In 2003 the South African authorities deported 55,753 Zimbabweans without official documents. Figures for this year are likely to be higher, with 24,000 irregular Zimbabwean migrants being deported between January and March alone. Deportees are both male and female, and aged from in their teens and upwards, but the reason for deportation is always the lack of legal documentation.

The reception centre, funded by the British government's Department for International Development (DFID), will help the deported migrants with transportation, food rations, basic healthcare, and information on HIV/AIDS and irregular migration issues, including human trafficking and smuggling.