South Africa has moved to secure its borderline with Zimbabwe by deploying the first batch of Border Guards to prevent illegal entry into the country.
“Thank you very much for joining us today on this auspicious day as we seek to protect our sovereignty in the interest of the people of South Africa and the world,” said SA Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaladi at the unveiling of the guards on Thursday.
“Fellow South Africans, they are here. They are the first cohort of young men and women who have undergone a rigorous selection process that included interviews, physical training, and orientation, who will serve as the Border Guard.”
Dr. Motsoaledi said the appointment of the commissioner and two deputy commissioners in November last year, set SA on a path towards a single command and control environment at Ports of Entry.
“We are here today to officially deploy the Border Guards within the vulnerable segments of the borderline for law enforcement purposes,” said the home affairs minister.
“We are trying to build a better border management authority with this group of young men and women who heeded the call to serve in a manner that enables our country to pursue its policies.”
He said the commissioner and the deputy commissioners hit the ground running and started the recruitment process.
“Some of these recruits, standing in front of you today, come from border towns and villages, like here in Musina,” said Dr. Motsoaledi, adding: “The most important weapon of these Border Guards we are unveiling today won’t be the guns they are carrying but their integrity.”
The minister said parallel to the recruitment processes, the Commissioners were “also busy” with the work of ensuring that the Border Management Authority (BMA) is a standalone Schedule 3A entity responsible for the borders by 01 April 2023.
“We are not going to deploy the Border Guards everywhere and nowhere. We have taken care to assess the borderline and identified areas that are vulnerable,” explained the minister.
The land borderline in South Africa is 4 773 km.
“We have divided it into 10 segments. Not all the segments are problematic,” Dr. Motsoaledi said.
The biggest segment is between South Africa and Botswana. It is more than 1 500 km long.
“There are no problems there. So we are not going to deploy there. We are monitoring it and we will act accordingly if any problems arise,” the minister said.
“The next biggest segment is more than 960 km long between us and Namibia. We are not experiencing problems there.
“We have identified five segments that are problematic. That will be the border line around Beitbridge with Zimbabwe where we are. So are Lebombo and Khosi Bay with Mozambique and Maseru with Lesotho.
“The segment around Khosi Bay is the smallest, only 76 km. That is where stolen cars from South Africa are taken through into the rest of the continent.
“We are determined to make our borders less porous. There must be some semblance of normality that people must know, that they can be caught, be deported and declared undesirable.”
