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).

The post South Africa’s border security forces running on limited resources appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

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.

The post SA Army soldiers confiscate millions worth of contraband and drugs in September appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

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.

The post Fewer SANDF border arrests in April, but contraband and vehicle seizures persist appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

This is more than the R6.7 million worth of unspecified narcotics taken from smugglers in October with Mozambicans again the biggest culprits. In October soldiers working the Mpumalanga/Mozambique border relieved smugglers of narcotics worth R5.6 million – last month the narcotics haul along the same stretch of land border was valued at  R5.9 million.

Mozambicans attempting to smuggle drugs into South Africa via the KwaZulu-Natal border, along with Swazis coming over the same land border but in a different area, were nabbed with R2.9 million worth of drugs. Joint Operations doesn’t specify the types and amounts of drugs confiscated and handed to police, but the list is usually topped by dagga.

Read the full story on defenceWeb here.

The post From accosting drug smugglers to herding livestock – just another day on SA border protection appeared first on ProtectionWeb.