In a seeming first for a South African security agency or organisation, the Border Management Authority (BMA) lined up officials guilty of corruption and had them relate their experiences while behind bars to colleagues.
The awareness campaign under the banner of the Border Management and Immigration Anti-corruption Forum (BMIACF) was on show for the first time at the Beitbridge port of entry (PoE) on 11 November. It, as per a BMA statement, sent out a strong message to officials working at the border those engaged in corruption will face the full might of the law.
Convicted offenders shared “their regrettable experiences” with BMA personnel in an effort to discourage corrupt activities before finding themselves in correctional facilities. The statement has it further while offenders were treated with dignity “incarceration remains a difficult experience” because freedoms taken for granted disappear.
“Prison is very painful. My advice to all public officials is if you are already engaged in corruption, it is better for you to stop now; for your sake and that of your family,” according to an incarcerated offender quoted in the statement who attended the awareness campaign.
Similar sentiments were echoed by another behind bars official. Currently serving a 15-year sentence she is quoted as saying: “I was working in law enforcement but due to acts of corruption, now I find myself wearing the corrections uniform. I have grandchildren who come to visit me in custody and they wonder why I am not returning home. I have to come up with excuses each time they come to visit me and make up stories about where I am. It’s only a matter of time before they understand what is going on. I have lost friendships and my job”.
BMA Commissioner and Chief Executive, Dr Michael Masiapato, said the BMIACF enables integrated border law enforcement and relevant stakeholders to have conversations about the consequences of corruption.
“Beitbridge is one of our biggest and busiest ports, which is also an entry into the rest of the continent. It is important that we have this awareness campaign here so officials do not find themselves involved in wrongdoing,” the statement has him saying. It is against this background a preventative approach against corruption is crucial to enable would-be perpetrators to understand where their actions could lead to
The BMIACF, chaired by Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Head, Advocate Andy Mothibi, will leave no stone unturned in its endeavours to deal decisively with corruption in the border management and immigration environment. He is on record as saying corruption undermines the public’s trust in government institutions.
Since establishment of the forum, investigations have been instituted to ensure consequence management against corruption becomes the order of the day. “Those who commit corruption are brazen and daring. The BMIACF is fit-for-purpose to attend to such individuals without fear or prejudice,” he said.
The BMIACF, in addition to the BMA and SIU, has the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigations (DPCI) – the Hawks – onboard with civil society organisations.
Formed in March the forum is a platform for collaboration among key law enforcement organisations, civil society and business to address systemic corruption and illicit activities in the sector. The forum, according to the BMA statement, highlights the South African government’s “all of government” approach to rooting out corruption through multi-agency collaboration sharing data to effectively stamp out fraud and corruption.
