Durban – The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) has revealed that three individuals have been arrested for attempting to gain unauthorised access to the venue of the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit currently taking place in Durban.
In a statement made available to The Bulrushes, NATJOINTS said two Congolese nationals were arrested on Saturday, 15 August 2026, after attempting to gain entry to the summit venue using accreditation that had not been issued to them and belonged to another person.
“The suspects were detected at an access-control point when their identities did not correspond with the accreditation presented and were immediately arrested,” the statement said.
“The two Congolese nationals face charges of fraud, impersonation and contravention of the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act 2 of 2010, relating to entering a designated area without authorisation.
“Their identities and the circumstances surrounding the attempted access remain subject to further investigation.”
NATJOINTS said earlier this week that a Zimbabwean national was also arrested after allegedly attempting to obtain accreditation under the guise of being a performing artist in an effort to gain access to the summit venue.
“The Zimbabwean national faces a charge relating to being illegally in the Republic of South Africa,” said the statement.
“This brings to three the number of individuals arrested in connection with attempts to circumvent the summit’s accreditation and access-control processes.”
NATJOINTS has issued a “stern and unequivocal” warning that the exchanging, lending, sharing, falsification or misuse of accreditation, as well as any attempt to gain access to the summit venue without proper authorisation, will not be tolerated.
NATJOINTS said only individuals in possession of valid, authorised and properly issued accreditation will be permitted access to the Durban International Convention Centre.
