The tip-off reportedly given to “military police officials” of the Mthatha-based infantry battalion saw soldiers alert Lebombo customs officials to an apparently abandoned and loaded truck at a nearby fuel stop on the N4. The loaded truck/trailer was taken to the SA Revenue Service (SARS) Lebombo where more than 6 700 pairs of sneakers as well as 340 pairs of Diesel branded and 216 branded pairs of G-Star jeans were found. The trainers were branded Adidas, Jordan, Lacoste, New Balance, Nike, Reebok and Vans.

All told the clothing and footwear was valued at R8 427 600. In addition to the big Lebombo haul soldiers also relieved smugglers of unspecified contraband worth R1.69 million on the Mpumalanga/Mozambique border in November.

The trade in counterfeit goods is a major issue for South Africa’s law enforcement agencies, which recently recorded other successes. At the end of October 2025, the Hawks seized R59 million worth of counterfeit Nike, Versace, and Gucci products during a raid on a freight container depot in Durban. Weeks earlier, authorities seized R260 million worth of illicit goods from over 100 shops in the North West province – police seized over 86 000 counterfeit items from stores in Coligny, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Mahikeng, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Ventersdorp, and Zeerust.

In revealing its Operation Shanela II and Safer Festive Season Operation statistics over the last week, the SAPS said in the Western Cape, they uncovered an illicit alcohol manufacturing plant in Lansdowne and arrested two suspects aged between 26 and 39 years old. They were arrested for the illegal manufacturing and distributing liquor. Seizures included manufacturing equipment, an assortment of alcohol branding stickers, and unknown liquids.

The illicit alcohol industry has grown from R6.4 billion in value in 2017 to R16.5 billion in 2024. It has become so prevalent that roughly one in five bottles of alcohol is illicit. These are mostly either counterfeit or smuggled into South Africa.

Also in the Western Cape last week, members of the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation Narcotics Unit intercepted a truck on the N12 en route from Johannesburg to George carrying drugs. A box containing cocaine worth R3.6 million was seized and arrested a 46-year-old suspect for dealing in cocaine.

In Mpumalanga, police acting on intelligence intercepted a truck pulling two trailers with 12 water tanks with 5000-litre capacity packed with cartons of illicit cigarettes. The seized consignment consisted of 25 pallets of illicit cigarettes worth R17.4 million. A 43-year-old foreign national from the Kingdom of Eswatini was arrested after the discovery of illicit cigarettes hidden inside water tanks in Sundra on 5 December 2025.

Also in Mpumalanga, two Zimbabwean foreign nationals were arrested for dealing in dagga. This is after police intercepted a truck on the N2 Road from Empangeni en route to Zimbabwe and discovered six big bags of compressed dagga to the value of R1.2 million on 4 December 2025.

According to statistics from the Joint Operations Division of the SANDF, in November soldiers, from both regular SA Army and Army Reserve units, also stopped drugs worth just over R2 million from coming into South Africa via the country’s borders with Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

An unspecified number of vehicles with a total value of R1.45 million were prevented from illegally exiting South Africa en route to chop shops or for export from Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

That the original reason for the Operation Corona border safeguarding tasking – preventing illegal immigrants – still applies comes with interception of 302 in November, with 239 Zimbabweans the majority of those handed to police and Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials. Basotho, Mozambicans, Swazis and Zimbabweans made up the remaining illegal immigrants nabbed by soldiers who were also integral to the detention of 30 suspects sought by police in connection with crimes not specified by the Joint Operations Division.

Livestock – cattle, goats and sheep – found illegally with an attributed value of R872 210 on South African pastureland was impounded. As is normal Basotho pastoralists were the biggest offenders accounting for R622 710 worth of livestock which either wandered across a non-existent or broken border fence or were herded into the Free State province.

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In July, Commissioner Michael Masiapato’s fledgling BMA (it marked its second anniversary in October) told Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations (JSCA) and the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs (PCHA) its 2023/24 budget request was R2.9 billion but it received less than half (R1.34 billion). This allocation increased marginally to R1.4 billion in 2024/25, with R1.47 billion allocated for the current 2025/26 financial year.

Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha’s landward force, along with the rest of the SANDF, knows full well and has lived with effective decreases and only minimal funding increases from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s National Treasury (NT) for more years than successive defence and military veterans’ ministers care to remember. Apart from putting the brakes on acquisition of replacement equipment, this has seen no increase in boots on the ground for the SANDF Operation Corona border protection tasking – still standing at 15 “sub-units”, mostly infantry companies, deployed along the 4 470 km plus land border.

Exact numbers of soldiers from the regular and reserve components as well as other SA Army formations deployed to protect border integrity are not known. In this regard African Defence Review Director Darren Olivier estimates the current 15 “sub-units” amount to between 2 300 and 2 500 soldiers deployed at any one time, working on the basis of 160 in an infantry rifle company.

Against this is the BMA, which a Parliamentarian said earlier this year has 673 “border law enforcement officers” on its total personnel strength of 2 606, including 400 newly appointed junior border guards. When fully staffed the BMA is mooted to have over 11 000 personnel.

Indications are around four thousand plus of these could come from the SA Police Service (SAPS) which, according to Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP) Adrian Roos, are already assigned duties at air, land and sea ports of entry. They, like some Department of Home Affairs (DHA) officials, are set to move onto BMA personnel strength sooner rather than later in the wake of a meeting between now suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, replaced by Firoz Cachalia on 1 August, and the Home Affairs Ministry incumbent, Leon Schreiber. At the beginning of May, authorisation was given for the transfer to the BMA of police and Department of Home Affairs officials carrying out border functions.

As it presently stands the entity specifically tasked with border protection has the least number of border guards confined to 10 km on either side of land ports of entry, with the SA Army having around 2 300 soldiers on the ground doing the hard yards in often unhospitable terrain ranging from thick bush to desolated semi-desert and mountains. The most recent example of the dangers faced by soldiers on border protection was the apparently trampling to death of a soldier by an elephant in the Madimbo area of operations.

The South African Police Service remains at present a contributor to border security with officers based at air, land and sea ports of entry. There are about 4 400 police officers assigned to border control and protection duties.

In a joint presentation to Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs on 18 July, the BMA said the main risk it faces is limited capacity, which hampers its ability to effectively fulfil its mandate. This has been worsened by the lack of additional funding allocated to the entity, leaving it unable to recruit much-needed human resources or invest in technology that could alleviate pressure on existing staff. Moving forward, the BMA will prioritise filling critical positions, and is requesting additional funds through the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (CARA).

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Members of Parliament (MPs) from both National Assembly (NA) defence oversight committees – the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) and the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) – were hands-on and eyes open this week along the Limpopo River. They also interacted with officers and soldiers at a provincial tactical headquarters.

JSCD chair Malusi Gigaba is quoted by Parliamentary Communication Service statements as saying the visit was to assess the situation first-hand. It is worrying that government departments and entities responsible for border management are not working together to find lasting solutions to the country’s porous borders, the JSCD and PCDMV said.

The government departments and entities Gigaba refers to are the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) resorting in Minister Angie Motshekga’s Department of Defence (DoD); the Border Management Authority (BMA), a Ministry of Home Affairs entity; the SA Police Service (SAPS), currently the responsibility of Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia; and the SA Revenue Service (SARS) Customs Division in Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’ portfolio of responsibilities.

The statements report the SANDF telling their Parliamentary visitors there was a lack of manpower to properly monitor the long stretch of borders shared with Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. “Soldiers are required to cover hundreds of kilometres, often with limited resources,” the SANDF said. “The SANDF is severely underfunded. We should have 22 military companies patrolling our borders, but currently there are only 15. Even these are struggling due to shortages of personnel, vehicles and modern technology, such as drones,” said Gigaba.

The SANDF also noted that informal settlements near the Limpopo River make border control even more difficult, as some residents are reportedly involved in aiding illegal crossings.

PCDMV chair Dakota Legoete is quoted as saying: “If we are being honest, we don’t have functioning borders, and this puts the safety of our country at risk”.

Co-Chairperson of the JSCD, Phiroane Phala, added: “While it is important to maintain good relations with our neighbours, we must also protect our territorial integrity. We cannot allow people to enter and leave the country without control.”

An on-foot inspection along the Limpopo River brought to light damaged fencing and areas where there are regular illegal crossings. Soldiers told the MPs they were too few to effectively monitor and respond to the constant flow of border jumpers.

The committees said they will continue their oversight work and engage with relevant departments to push for better coordination, increased funding, and stronger border protection measures.

Gigaba has it further managing migration to realise South Africa’s economic development and national security potential and minimise its risks requires a new paradigm underpinned by management. This he envisages as an “all-of-government” and “all-of-society” approach. “It is necessary to invest in border management infrastructure in order to mitigate the loss of billions of rand as a result of counterfeit goods, the illicit entry and exit of goods that are not declared to SARS and crimes such as car theft and illicit tobacco, among others.”

The committees, the statements have it, want a strategy to address the nature of migration, which affects all provinces. “All of government must come together with the involvement of all security structures for concerted operations.”

Both committees further want to see “a sufficiently equipped SANDF and other border entities in terms of personnel on the ground, technology and other resources”.

Gigaba emphasised that something needs to be done about syndicates that buy trucks and hire drivers to transport illicit goods across border lines. In addition, concerted efforts are needed to find solutions, as South Africa cannot control what happens with its counterparts on the Zimbabwe side. Members of the oversight committees also called for collection of all the donkeys along the border as they are used to carry out illegal activities. They said the engagement with the BMA has exposed a weak and dysfunctional system.

Gigaba recommended that all departmental entities should improve on their cooperation to disable the enablers and traffickers. “It is worrying to think that should the truck scanner that is in use break down due not being properly maintained, this will pose a huge risk as cargo will not be scanned,” he noted.

“It has become very clear that the BMA does not have a budget, same as SAPS, Home Affairs and SANDF. It is estimated that South Africa losses over R83 billion rands in illicit goods and substances and one of the national key points where there is a serious national threat is here in Beitbridge, Durban harbour and OR Tambo,” Legoete said.

The committee concluded that it might be ill advised to throw all the available resources at chasing people entering the country, as they may miss their target. A strategy is needed to address the nature of migration, which affects all provinces. All of government must come together with the involvement of all security structures for concerted operations.

In spite of challenges, Gigaba commended the admirable dedication of soldiers serving along the border, at times without proper equipment. “We need to ensure that the challenges they face at the level of technology, equipment and infrastructure are addressed. They are making enormous personal sacrifices to protect those of us inside the country.”

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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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Statistics provided by the Joint Operations Division of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) show soldiers put paid to the intentions of 312 foreigners hoping to enter South Africa without the necessary documentation last month. In August 839 “undocumented persons” found themselves in Department of Home Affairs (DHA)/SA Police Service (SAPS) custody pending deportation, close to five hundred more than were stopped in September.

Zimbabweans at 145 made up the majority of September’s illegal immigrants, followed by Mozambicans (88) and Basotho (75).

After confiscating drugs worth R10 million plus in August, either the smuggling fraternity found ways to elude patrols or did not have as much product available to move illegally in September, borne out by narcotics confiscations just short of R2.5 million. The Eswatini/KwaZulu-Natal/Mozambique triangle was the biggest offender at R1.9 million with Mpumalanga/Mozambique a distant second on R581 253.

Contraband seizures in September were also markedly down on the previous month.

In August soldiers, in a number of instances supported by police, confiscated cigarettes, liquor, pharmaceuticals as well as fake branded clothing, footwear and other items valued at over R3.8 million. In September this figure dropped to just over R2 million. The contraband was being smuggled into South Africa by Mozambicans, Swazis and Zimbabweans with residents of South Africa’s northern neighbour the biggest culprits. Their share of confiscated contraband was valued at R1.9 million.

Joint Operations lists two incidents of “illegal grazing” in September where stock farmers from Botswana and Lesotho cross borders to allow cattle and “small stock” (usually sheep and goats) access to better grazing than in their home countries. The value of these incursions is put at R180 000 for the Botswana cattle and R73 600 for the small stock found on the South African side of the Free State/Lesotho border.

Numerous stolen vehicles were also recovered last month, with R2.3 million worth of vehicles recovered in Limpopo along the Zimbabwe border, and R300 000 worth of vehicles recovered in KwaZulu-Natal along the Mozambique border.

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Statistics released by the Directorate Corporate Communication (DCC) reveal Mozambicans carrying narcotics valued at R2.7 million were intercepted by soldiers patrolling the Mozambique/Mpumalanga borders last month. Soldiers in KwaZulu-Natal along the Mozambique and Eswatini borders seized narcotics worth R7 million from smugglers and drug mules.

Other drug busts reported for Operation Corona by SA Army provincial joint tactical headquarters in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces totalled R88 000. The major contributor was Zimbabwe with R66 000 worth seized.

Contraband confiscations – again not specified but normally cigarettes, liquor, pharmaceuticals as well as fake branded clothing and footwear – were confined to the Eswatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe borders. The total estimated value, as per Joint Ops, is R3.8 million with Mozambique leading the pack on R3.4 million followed by Zimbabwe (R377 000) and Eswatini a distant third on R66 426.

The flow of illegal immigrants to South Africa in August was 839 – 71 less than in July. The 387 Zimbabweans handed to police and Department of Home Affairs (DHA) immigration officials was the single highest for the month followed by 247 Mozambicans.

Other successes for August include R1.2 million worth of livestock recovered; 16 criminals arrested; stolen vehicles worth R1.2 million recovered in Mpumalanga and Limpopo; and R16 000 worth of firearms seized.

It is known that two units – SA Army Reserve Force unit, Durban Light Infantry (DLI) and 8 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion from Upington – ended their Operation Corona duties at the end of August. DLI was tasked with patrolling the Lesotho/South Africa border in KwaZulu-Natal with the Northern Cape soldiers deployed along the KwaZulu-Natal/Mpumalanga border with Eswatini and Mozambique. Their replacements come from Middelburg, Mpumalanga-based 4 SAI.

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