Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said an agreement was inked with her Zimbabwean counterpart after two years of negotiations to facilitate the legal movement of people between the two countries.”It is my wish that any capacity building and cooperation in this agreement will support the efforts to rebuild the Zimbabwean economy,” said Mapisa-Nqakula in a statement.

The agreement is similar to those held with Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mauritius and will see the Zimbabwe border pass accepted as a legitimate travel document.

Zimbabwe’s deteriorating political situation in the past few years has sent hundreds of thousands flocking to South Africa, often entering the country illegally in perilous border crossings to escape the economic deterioration in their own country.

Mapisa-Nqakula said the new agreement would also strengthen efforts to fight human trafficking, human smuggling and other cross-border crimes, and will allow South Africa to monitor those entering the country better.