DA exposes SA’s porous borders

The Democratic Alliance has undertaken a “border tour” in a bid to highlight the “true state” of South Africa’s borders.

According to a statement from the party, the “alarming” tour has exposed a “grim picture of how the ANC has failed in securing our country’s borders”.

The official opposition became self-appointed border inspectors at the Limpopo/Zimbabwe border, the KwaZulu-Natal/Mozambique border and the North West/ Botswana border.

It says it uncovered a range of issues, including “illegal cross-border trading, alleged social grant fraud, porous borders, no fences, poor military patrolling and hijacking syndicates”.

The party said that at the Beit Bridge border in Limpopo, it discovered parts of the fence which had been cut as well as an “open and unmanned gate large enough for a truck to drive through”.

Democratic Alliance members allege they “were able to cross into Mozambique at the Manguzi border, buy fish, and cross back into South Africa”.

The party also alleged it was informed people regularly crossed the border from Mozambique to collect social grants and shop in South Africa before returning home. – Citizen reporter