Drug and contraband confiscations and seizures were top of the boards for soldiers deployed on the national border protection tasking Operation Corona in October.
The largest drug “take” for the month was on the Mpumalanga/Mozambique border where soldiers prevented over R5.6 million worth of unspecified drugs from reaching South African users. Soldiers tasked with patrolling KwaZulu-Natal’s borders with Eswatini and Mozambique confiscated – again – unspecified drugs from smugglers valued at R1.1 million with the Limpopo/Zimbabwe border the only other one to yield narcotics, a minor amount valued at just R348, according to Joint Operations statistics supplied to defenceWeb.
Contraband-wise the Limpopo/Zimbabwe border could be termed the most productive with soldiers confiscating just over R6 million worth. As has become standard operating procedure (SOP) for the Joint Operation Division of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) when reporting on Corona activities, there is no mention of specific contraband, for example, cigarettes, liquor, pharmaceuticals as well as imitation branded clothing and footwear. Smugglers attempting to bring contraband into South Africa by way of the Mpumalanga/Mozambique surrendered R1.6 million worth of illegal goods to soldiers. Batswana smugglers found themselves short of contraband valued at R46 320 when attempting illegal entry via the Botswana/North West border.
Corona’s original tasking – to prevent illegal immigration – remains a standing order for the operation with 246 illegals apprehended and handed to police and Department of Home Affair (DHA) immigration officers in October.
The single largest group apprehended was 78 Mozambicans followed by 63 Basotho and 41 Zimbabweans. A total of 23 criminals were also arrested along South Africa’s borders last month.
Stolen vehicles worth R6.4 million were recovered along the South Africa/Zimbabwe border, followed by a stolen vehicle worth R975 000 recovered in Mpumalanga on the border with Mozambique. Stolen vehicles worth R712 000 were also recovered in the North West along the border with Botswana.
Joint Operations records livestock illegally grazing and for October said the value of animals found to be illegally grazing amounted to R1.5 million across five borderlines.
