Out of Zimbabwe at all costs

As violence worsens, millions are leaving everything behind for uncertainty in S. Africa. AT THE SOUTH AFRICA-ZIMBABWE BORDER -- For those desperate souls who would sneak across this frontier, consider the obstacles: armed bandits. A river, low this time of year but still populated by crocodiles and man-mauling hippos. Multiple rows of fences watched by zealous border guards. And all along, the goal is to enter a country that's dangerously hostile to immigrants. Yet to escape President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe, the risks increasingly appear to be worth taking. One of the largest illegal migrations in the world continues to swell as Zimbabweans stream into South Africa, fleeing a brutal crackdown by Mugabe in the run-up to last month's presidential election. Zimbabwe's main opposition party says that security forces and... [read full story]