The assessment comes in the wake of what is termed “a detailed study visit” by SADC Secretariat representatives on 24 and 25 July. Listed among the visit’s objectives were implementation of the co-ordinated border management (CBM) concept, progress on implementation of the one-stop border post (OSBP) concept and transit procedure efficiency. It further included evaluation of time required for release of goods and the state of ICT (information and communication technology) connectivity at the border and with neighbouring Zimbabwe.

The SADC team, a statement reads in part, observed a strategic reduction in the number of border agencies operating at Beitbridge. This fits with South Africa “currently implementing [its] Border Management Authority (BMA)”. The authority comprises immigration, agriculture, law enforcement and port health. “BMA is an advanced stage of CBM concept and was established in South Africa in 2020 starting operations in 2023.” The BMA has co-ordination mechanisms with SA Revenue Service (SARS), SA Police Service (SAPS) and SA National Defence Force (SANDF). Implementation protocols are also in place to for BMA to work with other stakeholder including Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA) and the SA national Department of Transport (DOT).

“The number of border agencies were therefore streamlined through the BMA,” the statement notes.

Beitbridge is “currently benefiting from some renovation to be more effective and efficient for facilitating trade and eventually implementing other trade facilitation concepts in line with the SADC regional integration agenda”.

Progress to date on trade facilitation at Beitbridge led the SADC delegation to “consider implementation of the OSBP concept expeditiously” as one leg of improving ease of doing business and increasing intra-SADC trade.

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General Masemola stated that TOC is no longer confined to specific regions or industries but has become a global phenomenon driven by technology, trade, and finance. Criminal syndicates are using advanced methods such as cryptocurrency, encrypted communications, and deepfake technology to evade law enforcement, exploiting weak regulatory frameworks and jurisdictional gaps. He stressed that combating these networks is no longer an option but a necessity, as TOC threatens security, economic stability, and governance.

While the conference focused on a regional strategy aligned with SADC’s goals, Masemola highlighted that South Africa has been actively disrupting criminal networks through law enforcement operations. He detailed recent successes, including the arrest of four individuals involved in human trafficking who lured victims with false job offers, only to drug and force them into servitude. In a separate operation, SAPS’ Special Task Force rescued 90 undocumented Ethiopian nationals who were being held under inhumane conditions in Sunnydale Ridge, Johannesburg, during a raid that also uncovered a kidnapping-for-ransom operation.

Drug trafficking remains a critical focus, with SAPS having arrested 20 drug mules at OR Tambo International Airport since 2024. In December, a Brazilian suspect was caught with over four kilograms of cocaine in his luggage, while a Paraguayan national was arrested after swallowing 33 cocaine-filled capsules. Intelligence-led operations at Durban Harbour resulted in the seizure of cocaine worth over R80 million, smuggled in paint containers from Brazil and destined for distribution in Gauteng.

Illegal firearms remain a significant challenge, and SAPS has ramped up efforts to remove them from circulation. Recently, 16,049 firearms were destroyed in Vanderbijlpark, including handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Over the past six years, more than 279,000 illegal firearms have been destroyed as part of ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime. Masemola noted that while these statistics highlight major progress, the fight against organised crime requires continuous vigilance and regional collaboration.

Head of Interpol’s Regional Bureau, Sello Moerane underscored the importance of co-ordinated regional responses. He commended South Africa’s approach in broadening the conversation beyond law enforcement to include private sector partners and civil society, reinforcing that TOC cannot be tackled in isolation. The SADC Integrated Strategy to Prevent and Combat TOC aims to establish a structured regional approach, ensuring all member states align their intelligence-sharing mechanisms and enforcement efforts.

A key outcome of the conference is the formation of a National Task Force, which will integrate multiple agencies to improve intelligence co-ordination and cross-border crime prevention. This national effort will contribute to the development of a Regional Task Force, designed to unify responses to organised crime across Southern Africa. The strategy will strengthen data collection and intelligence-sharing, ensuring law enforcement agencies operate with a common understanding of TOC threats.

Recognising South Africa’s role as a regional economic hub, Masemola highlighted the country’s vulnerability to TOC networks seeking to exploit trade infrastructure, financial systems, and governance loopholes. The 2023 ENACT-ISS Crime Index ranked South Africa as the most resilient country in the region but also one of the most targeted by organised crime syndicates. With high-value trade routes and a complex financial sector, the country remains a focal point for illicit activities that require a well-coordinated national and regional response.

The importance of border security was also discussed, with a focus on expanding Interpol’s policing capabilities in Southern Africa. SAPS, through NCB Pretoria, has been urged to enhance database interoperability, particularly at ports of entry, to ensure law enforcement agencies can track and intercept criminal activity more efficiently. Interpol reaffirmed its commitment to assisting in all operational matters, ensuring that the region’s crime-fighting capabilities are fully aligned.

As discussions continue over the next five days, stakeholders are expected to develop concrete recommendations for improving intelligence-sharing, dismantling criminal networks, and strengthening enforcement mechanisms. Masemola stated that fighting TOC is not the responsibility of a single country but a shared global challenge requiring cooperation and strategic interventions. He urged regional partners to remain committed to dismantling illicit networks, protecting economic stability, and ensuring a safer future for all.

The conference marks a critical step in reinforcing Southern Africa’s resilience against organised crime, with a renewed focus on intelligence-driven operations and regional collaboration. Masemola concluded by reiterating that complacency is not an option, and the fight against TOC must be met with unwavering determination, innovation, and unity.

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The Southern African Development Community (SADC) delegation visit to the South Africa/Zimbabwe port of entry (PoE), now firmly under the control of Commissioner Mike Masiapato’s Border Management Authority (BMA) on the southern side of the Limpopo River, had its eye on enhancing border operations in the regional economic bloc’s area of responsibility. Improved and speedier operations align with a July 2013 SADC regional economic integration ministerial task force meeting where SADC ministers committed to improving border efficiencies and trade facilitation at “key border posts”.

The 2024 year-end holiday period saw more than 645 000 what BMA terms “travellers” processed at the Beitbridge PoE on the South African side. This is second to arrivals and departures at OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) with another land PoE, Lebombo to Mozambique third at over 571 000.

The Beitbridge PoE is seen by SADC as an essential component of the north/south corridor connecting shipping ports to industrial productivity hubs across the region. The corridor extends from the port of Durban in South Africa to Kasumbalesa in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), passing through both the Beitbridge and Chirundu one stop border posts (OSBPs) in Zimbabwe.

The regional economic bloc delegation was told by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (SIMRA) Commissioner for Customs and Excise, Batsirai Chadzingwa, Beitbridge is “a crucial junction”. In addition to serving South Africa and Zimbabwe it facilitates trade with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.

The upgraded Beitbridge PoE in Zimbabwe, visited by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of him officially taking into service the BMA as the country’s third security service in October 2023, Chadzingwa says has state-of-the-art border infrastructure allowing it on the Zimbabwean side of the border to operate 24 hours a day.

He is reported as telling the SADC delegation since it was re-opened in January four years ago the PoE has capacity to clear up to a thousand trucks a day and “is considered a model for regional studies and a source of inspiration for other initiatives and developments”.

No mention is made in the SADC statement on the assessment visit of security arrangements for both people and cargoes moving in and out of Zimbabwe.

Beitbridge is one of six PoEs earmarked by the BMA and the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for redevelopment. This will see better cross-border management of movement of people, goods and services, improved revenue collection and preventing harmful imports and exports former Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said in November 2023.

The other five are Lebombo, Maseru Bridge and Ficksburg (Lesotho), Kopfontein (Botswana) and Oshoek (Eswatini).

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