The highly publicised and dramatic escape of self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri almost two years ago brought into sharp focus the issue of SA's porous borders.
Though Bushiri was on bail and his movements were the province of the police after he was arrested by the Hawks on charges including theft, fraud and money laundering involving more than R100m, it was home affairs that had to face the public's wrath over his escape from the country.
Government critics were openly saying his getaway was evidence the country was becoming a banana republic where fugitives from the law can do what they please.
The big question for many people is what is the government doing about the porous borders and illegal migration into and out of SA? What is more worrisome is that people tend to focus on illegal movements when the porous borders issue is raised.
However, what they may not see is more dangerous than illegal crossings. The army has shown me areas along the border line where they have confiscated masses of counterfeit cigarettes heading to SA. Last month, the army arrested a suspect and confiscated large amounts of explosives destined for SA. Given the rise in ATM bombings in the country, should we not be alarmed?
With the drug problem escalating in many countries, including SA, every country is on high alert to stop the flow of drugs into their territories.
Law-enforcement agencies are investigating the possibility of human trafficking after the department of home affairs discovered a plastics factory in Alberton where illegal migrants from Malawi, Zimbabwe and China were locked up in slave-like conditions.
Clearly, porous borders are catalysts for human trafficking, taking us back to the days of slavery. There are complaints from township spaza shop owners who say they cannot compete with the fake products from other countries. If this claim is true, it means that these counterfeit products are brought into the country via the porous borders.
There is also the problem of stolen SUVs and other luxury vehicles being smuggled out of SA, never to be recovered.
A decade ago when the national intelligence co-ordinating committee (Nicoc) released its intelligence estimates, one of their focus areas was the porous borders with all their ramifications. They recommended a border management authority be established to tackle the matter.
On July 21 2020, the Border Management Authority Bill was gazetted into law. The BMA Act aims to strengthen border control and give the authority effective control at the ports of entry and within the border law-enforcement area.
With the drug problem escalating in many countries, including SA, every country is on high alert to stop the flow of drugs into their territories
While the focus is mainly on the land borders, the BMA will eventually implement all enforcement functions across the country, including land, air and maritime ports of entry. Border management in SA is exercised through collaborative efforts between multiple organs of state.
These organs perform functions in respect of individual mandates set out in a range of legislation. Presently, about 9,000 state officials from at least six organs of state are directly working at the country’s 72 ports of entry. These organs include Sars; and the departments of agriculture, land reform and rural development; forestry, fisheries and the environment; health; and the police.
Since 1994, five different co-ordination mechanisms were tried and failed. The time had arrived to make a fresh start with something completely different to improve efficiencies and effectiveness and to balance the facilitation of trade and travel while ensuring the country’s security. The BMA provides a sustainable solution to the structural and systemic challenges of border security, control and co-ordination by offering a new model of integration of the disparate functions, roles and responsibilities of the organs of state operating in the border law-enforcement environment.
The integrated approach will result in a single chain of command and control, and resources will be pulled together under one umbrella to ensure the optimisation of funds allocated to border management activities.
Presently the BMA is incubated as a branch in home affairs. Work is under way to launch it as a stand-alone public entity by April 1 2023.
The first cohort of trained border guards started work at the Beit Bridge border post just over a week ago.
Because SA has never focused on its borders after 1994, there is anger and cynicism in some quarters, especially among the beneficiaries of the porous borders. Before the deployment ceremony of the border guards started, a truck driver called a national radio station to say he was not fazed by border guards because he bribed the police and would do the same with the guards, continuing to carry illegal goods and people in and out of SA. We dare him to try us.
We emphasise that the success of the BMA will largely depend on the integrity and honesty of the border guards. We have conducted lifestyle audits on each employee. These will be conducted regularly to pick up if there is a sudden spike in the financial fortunes of a border guard. Those found to have accumulated unexplained wealth will be dismissed.
We have asked the border guards to execute their duties with pride and integrity, and without fear, favour or prejudice. We are going to be watching the guards with a hawk’s eye because we understand that temptations can come with the job.
The employment of these guards offers an opportunity to infuse a new culture at home affairs — a culture of serving with integrity, failing which there will be consequences.
We are determined to make our borders less porous. We are determined to earn respect for our country such that people must know there will be serious repercussions when they conduct illegal activities across our borders.
• Motsoaledi is the minister of home affairs
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