they have to be detained until the fine is paid, and the police clearly do not have the resources to detain thousands of people. To process such a huge number of people every week in a way that would involve paperwork and record keeping would be logistically impossible, given the small manpower and resources of this police station. This means that any information about deportees is essentially undocumented by the Zimbabwean police. By immediately discharging them, the police do not have to provide food or any other resources for deportees. On inquiry, the police reported that they are aware that minors are among those deported, and are aware that many of the girls being returned have been victims of sexual abuse. They do not have resources at this point to do anything about this, but have expressed a concern about the issue. The revolving door The authors observed the speed with which deportees dispersed. Taxi drivers and maguma guma hang around in the vicinity of the police station, and within half an hour of being dismissed by the police, some deportees were witnessed already in taxis and heading back across the border. However, to re-cross the border takes resources. It is possible if you know where the holes in the fence are, to walk the river and get as far as Musina without resources, but if you need to catch a taxi back to Johannesburg, then funds are needed. Zimbabweans we spoke to in Johannesburg told us that many Zimbabweans lay plans that come into effect when they are deported. They form a relationship with the taxi drivers that ply the Johannesburg-Musina route, and some taxi drivers have registers of Zimbabwean they deal with. On being picked up and taken to Lindela, Zimbabweans in this network can phone their taxi driver, and give him the date on which they should be collected in Musina and brought back to Johannesburg – which is the day after their deportation train is due to arrive at the border. In this way, they minimise the number of days they spend away from any job they may have in Johannesburg, because one of the greatest fears Zimbabweans face is losing their jobs - or possessions - when they are deported. On this system, it is not necessary to have the R500 up front for the fare back, as long as somebody else is waiting with it on arrival in Johannesburg. 7. Problems of the repatriated in Beitbridge While it is the majority of deportees who visibly head straight back to South Africa, there are those who remain for some time in the Beitbridge area. The police are not in a position to provide bus permits or any transport money to deportees, nor does any NGO in the area of Beitbridge. Deportees are commonly without money by the time they arrive back, and some are left stranded in Beitbridge trying to raise the money either to get to their homes in Zimbabwe, or back to South Africa. Informants in the Beitbridge area told us that from time to time people are deported to Zimbabwe who are not Zimbabwean; they cannot speak any local language including English. Sometimes South Africans are deported to Zimbabwe! Such individuals can face particular problems getting back to South Africa, as they cannot speak to anyone locally. The ill Those who are deported in a very ill state are admitted directly to the Beitbridge hospital. We were informed that deportees die in hospital on a weekly basis. Two detainees had died the day 76