A video circulating on TikTok shows a group of Zimbabwean nationals wading through a river – believed to be the Limpopo River – along the Zimbabwe-South Africa border.
The clip carries the caption “takaenda joni”, a Shona phrase commonly used to mean “we are going back abroad”.
The video shows people crossing the river in small boats while holding bags, as children cry in the background.
The footage has drawn widespread attention online and highlights the continued movement of undocumented migrants attempting to enter South Africa through informal routes.
BMA arrests 25 Zimbabweans near Beitbridge
Meanwhile, Border Management Authority (BMA) officers on Monday morning arrested 25 undocumented Zimbabwean nationals who tried to enter South Africa illegally through bushy terrain near the Beitbridge Border Post.
The arrests took place during intensified ground patrols led by BMA Commissioner Dr Michael Masiapato and Beitbridge Port of Entry commander Ntakuseni Lambani.
Authorities said the operation focused on areas outside the official border crossing, where migrants often attempt to evade detection.
Drones and surveillance track movement
The BMA said newly deployed surveillance technology played a key role in the arrests.
This included drones and real-time monitoring systems used to detect movement in areas that are difficult to patrol on foot.
“Instead of just doing patrols on the road, what we basically do is monitor them as they come through,” Masiapato told Newsroom Afrika.
Masiapato said drone technology has strengthened the BMA’s ability to monitor remote sections of the border.
He confirmed that officers intercepted about 99 individuals on Sunday using the same approach.
“Out of those 99, we had two that we call the facilitators,” he said.
Authorities continue to warn that illegal crossings remain dangerous and say surveillance operations along the border will remain intensified.
