by Ken Robertson MP – Political Head: DA Nkomazi Constituency
It will cost you R150 to cross into South Africa from Mozambique without documentation at the Lebombo Border post, it costs nothing to simply walk through the multiple holes along to border’s fence. This is according to migrants who frequently enter South Africa and Mozambique without the necessary documentation.
During a recent oversight inspection at the Lebombo Border, the DA counted at least 30 people who walked freely along well-worn paths into South Africa through gaping holes in the fence about a kilometre from the border post.
South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and South African Police Service (SAPS) officials at the border stated that they were well aware of the state of the Lebombo border but lacked the resources to address the problems caused by the porous border. They also claimed to know nothing about the R150 fee for illegal entry into South Africa.
According to the officials, the holes in the fence have been there for years and no one cares to fix them. This yet another indication of the ANC-led government’s lack of political will to secure our borders to ensure that each person in South Africa has access to services.
The state of our borders is also a sign of the rampant corruption and inefficiency of the Department of Home Affairs who have also been accused of selling documents to illegal immigrants.
The DA has a plan to protect both legal foreigners and our people from the crises of immigration corruption which includes the following;
- Reviewing the number and size of border posts and their management to increase points of legal entry and exit, prevent criminal activity and secure inter-border transregional business;
- Training of immigration officials and police officers and equipping them to carry out their duties with diligence and integrity to ensure the best possible service to all foreign nationals entering this country; and
- Ensuring that border management results in a continuous decline in cross-border crimes within our country and between the borders of our country and our neighbouring states.
The DA will work with our neighboring countries to ensure that those immigrants who come to South Africa do so legally and that we know what they do while they are in the country.