Patriotic Alliance (PA) Member of Parliament (MP) Millicent Mathopa, was told by Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber 51 650 illegal immigrants were deported in the 2024/25 financial year at a cost of R78 140 005.

This is close to 11 000 more than were deported in the previous financial year at a cost of over R11 million less. The figures for the 2022/23 financial year show 22 560 illegal immigrants were deported at a cost of R32 million, while 39 627 people were deported in 2023/24 at a cost of R67 million.

The figures given in reply to Mathopa’s August Parliamentary question differ from those given by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in an April ministerial statement. That Schreiber statement had it 46 898 illegal immigrants were deported in the 2023/24 year – an increase of 18% over 2022/23.

He ascribed the deportation increase to what he said was “the effectiveness of enforcement operations” resulting from improved collaboration between his department, Commissioner Michael Masiapato’s Border Management Authority (BMA) and General Fannie Masemola’s SA Police Service (SAPS).

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All told SA Army soldiers from both the regular and reserve forces confiscated R5.8 million worth of contraband and drugs from smugglers, with Mozambicans attempting to enter South Africa illegally across the KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga borders the biggest culprits.

Drugs valued at just over R3 million were seized in three provinces, with the largest haul (R2 million) seized in Mpumalanga last month. Contraband worth R2.8 million was recovered by soldiers, with the majority of that being seized in Limpopo (R2.4 million).

In August soldiers on the border protection tasking Operation Corona confiscated narcotics worth just under R800 000.

Illegal immigrant apprehensions in September totalled 322, according to statistics from the Joint Operations Division of the SANDF – well up from the 64 detained in August, but still short of the 456 handed to Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials and police in July.

At 222, Mozambicans were the single largest contributor to the month’s illegal immigrant apprehensions with Mozambicans stopped by soldiers on the KwaZulu-Natal border adding, along with Swazis, 36 to that number. Twenty-three Basotho and six Batswana also found themselves in custody ahead of deportation to their home countries.

Soldiers on land borders with Eswatini, Lesotho and Mozambique recovered livestock (cattle and small stock such as goats and sheep) worth R1.1 million in September. Cattle all told valued at over R500 000 was moved to police and other compounds after being found illegally on South African pastureland bordering the same three countries.

No livestock was reported recovered in August by the Joint Operations Division of the SANDF, nor were any firearms seized.

In September, soldiers also prevented an unknown number of stolen vehicles valued at R7.9 million from illegally exiting South Africa via the Mpumalanga/Mozambique and Limpopo/Zimbabwe land borders. This compares with R1.8 million worth of stolen vehicles recovered in August and R8 million in July.

Joint Operations further reported the apprehension of 36 “criminals” attempting to reach Lesotho and Mozambique in September. A total of 27 criminals were apprehended in Operation Corona patrols in August.

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By far the majority – 484 – of those stopped by soldiers were Zimbabweans with 126 Basuto attempting illegal entry into South Africa via the Free State province also handed to police and Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials. Only three other South African land borders – with Mozambique in Mpumalanga (70), Botswana in North West province (18) and Eswatini/Mozambique in KwaZulu-Natal (four) – saw soldiers apprehending illegals in April.

Contraband, not listed but normally including cigarettes, liquor, pharmaceuticals as well as fake branded clothing and footwear, valued at over R3.6 million, was taken from smugglers on South Africa’s land borders with Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Mozambicans were the largest contributors losing over R2.9 million worth of contraband and R509 628 worth of drugs to eagle-eyed soldiers on the Mpumalanga/Mozambique border. Soldiers deployed in KwaZulu-Natal on that province’s Mozambique border took R494 280 worth of contraband from Mozambican and Swazi smugglers.

Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe would have been on the receiving end of a number of vehicles stolen in South Africa had they not been intercepted by soldiers, who recovered stolen vehicles valued at R3.1 million in April.

As is by now standard operating procedure (SOP) for soldiers working South Africa’s borders with Lesotho, livestock (cattle, goats and sheep) worth more than R1.1 million was impounded after being found grazing on South African pastureland. Swazi and Mozambican stock farmers had “small stock” valued at R30 000 impounded by soldiers. In all instances, the livestock owners are fined (Joint Operations gives no indication of the amount) before their animals are returned.

Soldiers apprehended 24 criminals from escaping to Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in April.

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The department revealed it deported 39 672 people in 2023/24, and attributed the increase to improved collaboration between stakeholders, among others.

“This marked increase in the effectiveness of enforcement operations demonstrates our commitment to upholding the rule of law. It also flows from improved collaboration between the Department of Home Affairs, the Border Management Authority, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and local law enforcement. It further reflects the impact of joint initiatives like Operation Vala Umgodi,” Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to the department, “this is the highest number of deportations carried out in at least five years.”

In the five months between April and end August last year, the Department of Home Affairs deported 19 750 people at a cost of R52 million, Schreiber revealed in a parliamentary reply, equating to R2 670 per person.

In 2022/23, 10 808 people were deported, with the majority (7 393) being from Zimbabwe, followed by Malawi (3 020), Tanzania (159), and Nigeria (86).

Last month, the department announced a comprehensive upgrade to its digital verification system, a crucial component of national security, as well as both public and private sector services in South Africa.

The verification system enables government departments, including National Treasury and the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), as well as financial sector businesses, to confirm client identities using biometric features, such as fingerprints and facial recognition, against the National Population Register.

“This improved performance, coupled with our digital transformation reforms that will automate entry-and-exit to prevent people from entering the country illegally through our ports of entry, is contributing to enhanced national security and trade facilitation,” the Minister said.

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At nightfall, activity along the border picks up, with goods smuggled in large quantities, from cigarettes to cars, and dagga. The area we would be patrolling was void of formal settlements on either side, which meant the area lacked any lighting or light pollution. This results in a level of darkness which affords the smugglers with ample cover to go about their business.

“Ready for some action?” one corporal remarked. I inquired in response, in jest, about the likelihood of some shots being fired at us. “It’ll make for a better story,” I added, before I was reminded that this patrol was carefully planned. “No, they’ll see our headlights as we approach and duck back across,” the corporal said.

With the sun beginning to dip, we mounted up and sped down the highway to the border. As we approached Beit Bridge, the area showed no signs of quieting, with the bridge being the only crossing point between South Africa and Zimbabwe that is open 24 hours a day. At least, the only legal one.

We turned westwards just before the bridge, driving along the dusty road that runs parallel to the patchy barbed wire fence meant to enforce the buffer zone. Wondering what we were in for, we didn’t have to wait long to find out. Several hundred metres down the road, the lead vehicle spotted a many climbing through a gap in the fence. As the convoy made an abrupt stop, the man backtracked through the gap and took off.

We dismounted and followed two soldiers from the lead vehicle through the gap, along a worn path, littered with cigarette packets and cough syrup bottles. As we made our way through the rocky path, we passed a small fire, with the soldiers in front of me remarking that a group must have just left. Suddenly, the two soldiers took off in a sprint, and so we followed.

Dashing between rocks and piles of trash, the soldiers approached a group of migrants who proceeded to disperse in several directions towards the river, attempting to evade being detained. “Stop running!” yelled one of the soldiers, as the other caught up to an elderly woman, grabbing her by the arm. As the rest of the platoon caught up, many of the migrants had made their way back across the river, and the chaos of the moment dissipated. The two soldiers managed to detain two women, one of whom was pregnant, and a young child, who had been left behind by his mother. He looked at us with teary eyes, confused as to what was happening around him.

A few metres ahead, on the bank of the river, soldiers discovered a makeshift bridge. Built with sandbags and pieces of wood, it spanned approximately twelve metres, just far enough to make it over the water to no-man’s land. Although this stretch of the river is not dry, the water level is relatively low and has a slow current. With the sun casting a calm orange light across the horizon, we looked across the river, which was in a flurry of activity, with hundreds of people gathering on the bank starring back at us.

We made our way back to the convoy, and mounted up into the Troop Packs once again. Military Police (MP) vehicles arrived to the detain the migrants as we sped off again, into the darkness. Soon after, the pitch-black night arrived, with our convoy’s headlights standing out, the only source of light visible on the South African side.

After a long and bumpy ride, we reached a notorious crossing point, completely blanketed in darkness, with no signs of life. This was until we reached the river. Unlike the other locations visited, which had steep embankments, this location was relatively flat with trees lining the opposing sides. Several soldiers, equipped with flashlights, illuminated the opposite side, revealing a handful of shacks and a group of individuals, notorious “destabilisers.”

The riverbed in front of us was filled with tire tracks, from both donkey carts and vehicles, smuggled across both ways. As we stood in the riverbed, the smugglers on the Zimbabwean side began taunting us, particularly the soldiers.

“They’re swearing at us,” said one of the soldiers standing beside us, “hulle gaan kak,” he muttered, shaking his head. A general sense of frustration was on display, as the platoon stood along the bank, gazing across at the other side. Curious as to the reality of the situation, I turned to one of the corporals and asked what their course of action would have been if we had not been present. In response, he chuckled and shook his head, “let’s just say, they wouldn’t be shouting,” he said, adding “they’re worse than Al Qaeda, what they do to people.” Although no one would give any details or evidence, several soldiers suggested the Goma gomas intimidate migrants through violence, and those who refuse to pay to cross are beaten and maimed.

South Africa’s borders have become a space for exploitation, by smugglers, criminals, but also by those struggling to survive. The location of a constant struggle, as soldiers attempt to secure national borders, they are not afforded the appropriate resources, and many of those we spoke to expressed feelings of “fighting with one hand behind their back.” Although one soldier revealed the platoon did have access to night vision goggles, this was only for targeted foot patrols, and none were present during our tour.

When coming across migrants, soldiers must wait for MPs to affect arrests, and when coming across smugglers, especially those who employ violence and intimidation, soldiers can only use force if fired upon first. This, smugglers know all too well, as all they must do is make it to no-man’s land, where soldiers are unable to do anything. However, what happens in practice, when the media isn’t present, we can only speculate.

Since their deployment to the area on 1 September 2024, 10 AA has seized approximately R32 million in contraband in the Musina border section alone. This includes R8 114 746 in cigarettes, the highest quantity of all the areas under their command. Further, vehicles to the value of R3 191 260, and miscellaneous contraband to the value of R21 million were also seized in the area. These numbers have likely increased, as activity around the border increases around the December holiday season, as more migrants return home.

While the soldiers deployed under Joint Headquarters Limpopo are doing the very best they can, the visit to the border has left one thing clear. There is no military solution to the current border crisis. With regional instability increasing, the economic situation has left many desperate to survive, and the many challenges along the border cannot simply bey solved by more soldiers and a bigger fence.

This article is part of a series, to read part one, click here.

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Among those asking questions of Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber was Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) National Assembly (NA) member Thapelo Mogale. He was told the South African government, by way of the taxpayer, spent R52 817 656 deporting illegal immigrant back to their countries of origin in the five months between 1 April and 31 August this year. That money paid for 19 750 illegals to return to their countries of origin, which works out at over R2 670 per person.

Going further back on the same topic, ActionSA NA member Lerato Ngobeni was told by Schreiber deportations since 1 January 2022, with no end date given, were 83 731. It cost R193 million – just over R2 305 per person.

In 2022/23, 10 808 people were deported, with the majority (7 393) being from Zimbabwe, followed by Malawi (3 020), Tanzania (159), and Nigeria (86).

Finding and rounding up illegals in South Africa was done by way of what Minister Schreiber termed “raids/operations conducted” with him telling his questioner there were 1 112 in 2022/23 and 1 538 in the 2023/24 financial year. All told these netted over sixty-two thousand undocumented persons: 22 436 in 2022/23 and 39 627 in 2023/24.

Asked by MKP (uMkhonto weSizwe Party) NCOP member Seeng Mokoena whether the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) tracked and monitored non-South African citizens approved for visa-free stay and those with visas for the prescribed duration, Schreiber noted “both categories of traveller ere provided a specified period of stay when they comply with admission requirements as stated in the Immigration Act. He did not elaborate apart from adding “risk-based solutions” were used as well as the deterrent of being declared “undesirable” for one to five years.

Tracking is done by the DHA inspectorate unit which, according to Schreiber, saw 171 025 foreign nationals overstay from January 2019 to August 2024.

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On Tuesday night, during a routine intelligence-driven operation, 25 travellers were intercepted and deported by the BMA Immigration officials at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA), who were trying to enter South Africa illegally.

Of those,13 Bangladeshis and three Pakistanis were found to be in possession of fake visitors’ visas. One Bangladeshi, a Nigerian, three Pakistanis and four Ghanaians failed to meet the relevant entry requirements on arrival.

These travellers were intercepted on flights from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ghana and Nigeria, and they were deported back in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations.

The ICAO provides global standards for air transport operations and highlights that a person who has entered a state illegally or denied entry shall be returned to their country of origin by the respective airlines that brought them to South Africa and shall bear the costs of that particular travel.

ORTIA has been a target, with various travellers attempting to enter the country illegally.

This past Sunday, five Bangladeshis and five Ethiopians were intercepted in collaboration with the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA).

Masiapato commended the operations by BMA officials at ORTIA, saying that as the biggest and busiest airport in Africa, detection systems need to continue to be advanced.

“The outstanding efforts of our dedicated BMA immigration officers in successfully intercepting these travellers is commendable. With the BMA just one year in operation, this work exemplifies our unwavering commitment to safeguarding our borders and maintaining the integrity of our immigration laws.

“The diligence and professionalism displayed by our team have prevented potential security threats and upheld the rule of law.

“We will continue to enhance our capabilities and escalate cooperation with ACSA security as well as collaborate with international partners to address and combat such illicit activities effectively,” Masiapato said.

ACSA Regional General Manager Jabulani Khambule has thanked and congratulated the BMA on these latest interceptions of illegal travellers, praising officials for their hard work and dedication to protecting South Africa’s ports of entry.

“These latest successful interceptions of illegal travellers by the BMA demonstrates the importance of our multi-agency safety and security approach throughout our environment to enhance airport and aviation security in general.

“The aviation security model that is vertically and horizontally integrated with various law enforcement authorities is important to root out criminality across our airports,” said Khambule.

As the third law enforcement authority responsible for five key functional areas of immigration, port health, environmental and agricultural biosecurity, including access control and the general law enforcement at the ports of entry and border law enforcement areas, the BMA has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to criminal or unlawful behaviour at all ports of entry.

The BMA says it will continue to intensify its operations with the deployment of an additional 400 Junior Border Guards, who have resumed duty on the 1st of June 2024 at various ports.

Travellers are warned to avoid attempting to enter South Africa illegally, as they will be caught by BMA officials.

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