Correspondent|Members of the South African police flying squad have escorted four 25 -seater buses of foreign nationals back to Lebombo gate after they entered the country through the gate on Sunday morning.

According to reports, Trans African Concession was ordered by Saps to stop the buses ferrying foreign nationals at Machado toll plaza.

Mpumalanga EFF leader, Collen Sedibe said that the buses are now back in Mozambique.

In a statement released by the EFF, the party states they have been tracking a group of Japanese nationals attempting to enter South Africa illegally.

“The group is possibly part of the passengers on one of the 14 aircrafts which were turned back at OR Rambo after SA citizens had disembarked on Friday March 20”, reads the statement.

In light of the spike in the rate of the coronavirus infections across the world, no one is allowed entry into SA except citizens of the country. As a result, the foreign nationals were denied entry.

The EFF said they received a tip off and immediately activated relevant forces to track those individuals who subsequently travelled to Mozambique, where they reportedly disembarked and made their way to South Africa.

“We alerted the police in Mpumalanga who responded with the urgency the matter deserved and they managed to track down the buses”, added the EFF.

The buses were stopped at Machadodorp toll gate heading towards Gauteng through the N4.

The EFF stated that the destination or intentions of the foreign nationals are currently unclear and not yet known.

“We are alarmed by this situation and hope that in future we do not find the health of our citizens compromised in this manner”, said the EFF, further urging the government to ensure harsh consequences for those who breach the set of regulations during this difficult time.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in SA has escalated to 274.