MHLUMENI – Twenty-five foreign nationals were arrested at Mhlumeni Border Gate on Saturday after allegedly attempting to leave Eswatini without the required travel documents.
The group, which was reportedly travelling to Mozambique, is understood to be the same foreign nationals previously convicted of immigration offences and awaiting deportation, as earlier reported by the Times of Eswatini.
According to a source close to the matter, the arrests were made at approximately 5pm at Mhlumeni Border Gate after the foreign nationals allegedly failed to produce the necessary documentation required to cross into Mozambique.
“The 25 foreign nationals were arrested at around 5pm at the Mhlumeni Border Gate,” said the source.
According to the source, the foreign nationals were apprehended by law enforcement officers before they could cross the border and were transported to Siteki Police Station, where they were expected to face charges relating to the alleged immigration offences.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the arrests.
She added that they were arrested for not having the right documents to cross to where they were going.
The latest arrests come months after the same group featured in a widely reported immigration case following police raids on alleged illegal online gambling centres across the country.
As previously reported by the Times of Eswatini, the foreign nationals were among dozens of suspects arrested during coordinated police operations targeting premises suspected of being used for illegal online gambling activities. However, when they appeared before court, the charges brought against them related to violations of the Immigration Act rather than gambling offences.
The accused pleaded guilty to immigration-related charges, including remaining in Eswatini without the required documentation and engaging in employment or business activities without the appropriate permits.
Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi sentenced each of the accused to six months imprisonment with an option of paying a fine of E500. The fines were subsequently paid.
Following the conclusion of the proceedings, the Crown successfully applied for the foreign nationals to remain in custody pending their deportation from Eswatini, a process that required the involvement of immigration authorities and the relevant diplomatic missions.
The Times of Eswatini later reported that delays in the deportation process prompted some of the convicted foreign nationals to offer to fund their own flights back to their respective countries in an effort to speed up their removal from Eswatini.
According to the earlier report, the foreign nationals told the court they were prepared to purchase their own air tickets if that would facilitate their deportation instead of remaining in detention while awaiting administrative processes.
In another related development previously reported by the Times, dozens of detained foreign nationals later approached the High Court seeking the release of their passports. They argued that the continued withholding of the documents had delayed their deportation and prolonged their stay in detention. Those legal proceedings remain before the courts.
Saturday’s arrests are therefore expected to raise further questions about the circumstances under which the 25 foreign nationals allegedly attempted to leave the country while deportation arrangements were still pending.
Immigration laws require every person leaving Eswatini through an official port of entry to possess valid travel documents and to comply with all border control procedures before being allowed to cross into another country.
Failure to comply with those requirements constitutes an offence under the country’s immigration laws and may result in arrest, prosecution or other administrative action.
The Mhlumeni Border Gate, situated in the Lubombo Region, serves as one of Eswatini’s recognised entry and exit points into neighbouring Mozambique and is regularly used by travellers and commercial transport operators.
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