Dylan Bettencourt
Civil rights organisation AfriForum says it will patrol the South Africa-Zimbabwe border in Limpopo’s Musina area.
AfriForum launched the initiative following calls that the government was not able to stop illegal immigrants or halt cross-border smuggling after the multi-million rand fence was damaged.
Campaign manager Jacques Broodryk said the programme was developed after the support they received following the launch of their documentary, Open Borders, which shows poor border control between South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Broodryk added that two sniffer dogs had been donated and sent for training, while neighbourhood watch agencies would work with enforcement agencies to patrol the border.
“The smugglers use the areas with dense bushes to cross the border and these sniffer dogs will assist to quickly get on the trail of the smugglers. Duke (the dog) will also help law enforcement during roadblocks because of his specific skills to sniff out firearms and drugs,” he said.
“Between June and September of last year alone, AfriForum’s neighbourhood watch in Musina helped to seize smuggled goods with a total value of more than R12 million.”
During his budget speech, Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said immigration was the “elephant in the room” and admitted to South Africa’s border control concerns.
“I don’t have to outline what is taking place in our country about this problem. It is a crisis we are all aware of,” Motsoaledi said.
He added that the recruitment of border guards is done through the Border Management Authority.
Image source: @TheSouthAfrican
