Now into its second year of operations, Commissioner Michael Masiapato’s Border Management Authority (BMA) is making inroads into human trafficking.
A statement has it recent operations at the Beitbridge and Lebombo ports of entry “saw significant breakthroughs in disrupting illegal activities, including human and child smuggling”.
The first was last Friday (6 December) when border guards intercepted a minibus taxi attempting to smuggle 14 undocumented Mozambican children, aged between four and 16, into South Africa through the Lebombo port of entry. The driver was arrested on the spot and charged with aiding and abetting illegal entry in accordance with the Immigration Act. The rescued children were handed to the Department of Social Development for care and support.
The second human trafficking success came a day later just short of 600 km away at the Beitbridge port of entry. Eight Bangladeshis apparently exited a minibus taxi on the Zimbabwe side of the border and attempted to enter South Africa without valid travel documents. They were intercepted by border guards on a routine patrol in the vicinity of the port of entry.
“These incidents highlight the critical role border guards play in safeguarding vulnerable individuals and preventing the exploitation of our borders by criminal syndicates. The BMA remains steadfast in its mission to combat illegal activities and protect the sovereignty of South Africa.
“We are now in the festive period and our deployments have been intensified to intercept and deal with criminality in the border environment,” the statement has Masiapato saying.
