After years of disorganised management and underinvestment in border control, South Africa’s borders have been transformed into corridors of crime, enabling syndicates and criminal networks to conduct illegal cross-border activities largely uninterrupted.
Border control is thus one of the most pressing issues in our country’s fight against crime. Failing borders facilitate activities such as sex trafficking, poaching, gun crimes, theft, hijacking, fraud and financial crimes, among others.
Several rail crossings between South Africa and neighbouring countries are not managed at all. The border between South Africa and Lesotho is porous. It allows people to easily cross over to steal cattle.
Illegal immigrants easily enter the country through our transfrontier (an area that straddles the boundaries of two or more countries) parks, such as the Kruger Park.
Our systems do not closely monitor and track the entry or exit of goods into the country – especially those moving through City Deep dry port in Johannesburg, which serves as an important transport hub for the entire Southern African Development Community region.
When a container arrives from Europe via Durban destined for Botswana, for instance, it will not be checked in Durban before it is dispatched to City Deep, Johannesburg.
But once it has left City Deep, there is no way of monitoring whether it has left the country with all the goods intact. There is also no way of checking whether the container has been interfered with on the road between Durban and City Deep, or City Deep and Botswana. Our systems are not integrated, which means that if a vehicle is reported stolen in Johannesburg, it could take up to 48 hours to reflect on the border management system – by which time the vehicle would have long disappeared.
To address these issues, far greater attention must urgently be given to capacitating the Border Management Authority (BMA), and to modernising our borders with the many technological tools available.
South Africa is home to 53 land border posts. It has 10 airports and nine seaports. Prior to the establishment of the BMA, ports of entry were overseen by a dozen or more departments or government entities. With so many entities involved, it is little wonder that fragmentation has been persistent. First, each entity has its own priorities and procedures, leading to the duplication of certain tasks and unnecessary delays. Second, the
silo multi-agency approach meant other important areas may have been overlooked – especially as border management was not the central mandate of any of the bodies involved.
As a representative of the BMA explained, if a hole developed in the fence near the Beitbridge border post, the question would arise: who would be responsible for fixing it? Each department has its own budget priorities, and so the hole may be left unrepaired for months.
In response, the formal establishment of the BMA in April was vital, offering a single point of command and control for the country’s borders. This agency is an executing entity, mandated to carry out the policies proposed by various government departments, while providing an integrated management approach to ensure all resources are utilised effectively.
The BMA still requires far greater human and financial resources to successfully assume responsibility for the country’s border enforcement activities. Other departments and entities must be encouraged to relinquish their positions at the country’s borders, transferring the necessary officials and budget to the BMA for it to perform optimally. The National Treasury must support the BMA’s request for funding to aid its recruitment efforts. If the BMA’s border guards continue to co-exist with the police service, customs officials and the SANDF, inefficiencies will continue.
The BMA must be equipped with the latest technologies – fully integrated border management systems, drones, motion detectors, infrared cameras and gamma ray technology. Surveillance systems at all ports should be mandatory.
Ultimately, stemming the flow of crime at our country’s borders could play a significant role in preventing and reducing South Africa’s high crime levels.
The government must fully embrace advancements in both its strategy and technology to secure our borders, creating safer communities for all.
- Dr Cebekhulu-Makhaza is the president of Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
